A Brighter Future Ahead
by AdmiralCole22
Summary: Just before Clearsight leaves to confront Darkstalker at Agate Mountain, a new possible future springs into life. Could she save Darkstalker from the path he has chosen? If he is to be redeemed, Darkstalker would need the support of his friends...and protection from his enemies. Darkstalker AU.
1. Chapter 1

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Hello everyone. I just finished Darkstalker, and the ending gave me an idea for this story. So good news, YAY! NEW STORY! Bad news, Crap! Another new story...**

**I think it'll turn out good, though. It won't be anywhere near as long as Dragons Change, and the chapters will be shorter most likely. **

**This has nothing to do with my other story, though. This is purely an AU setting that starts on the second to last paragraph on pg. 339. You'll see the similarities between it and the first paragraph in this one.**

**This also doesn't mean that Dragons Change will receive any less attention. I'm working on the next chapter, but I had some writer's block for a long while that I've finally gotten over. I give no guarantees, but if we're lucky, the next chapter might be out next weekend. As I said before, though, school comes first for me, so if it's not out then, I ask you to just be patient with me. I'm trying my best.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Clearsight:**

Fathom turned the bracelet over in his claws, tears threatening to escape from his eyes, "Are we really going to do this to him?" he asked. His voice had become more emotional. It seems that, like herself, Fathom didn't want to betray his friend. They didn't have a choice, though. "Shouldn't we use the soul reader first? Maybe if he sees what we do, he'll stop."

"We don't—" she stopped mid-sentence. New, unexpected threads were forming. If she brought the soul reader, it would show what they feared, but Darkstalker would react one of two ways. He would either go into a rage and nothing would be able to stop his reign of terror across Pyrrhia…or he would be devastated after learning the truth, and the futures would become just a little bit brighter.

The only problem was that no matter how many futures she checked, it seemed to be a fifty-fifty chance. Even after everything that he had done—everything he might do—he was still her soulmate. She still loved him. It was hard seeing the carefree dragon she once knew turn into the single most dangerous megalomaniac Pyrrhia would ever know. There was a chance she could reason with him—stop him before things grew out of control.

Could she rest the fate of Pyrrhia on the fickle whims of fate, though? Using the bracelet was an almost guaranteed success. This, though…

Was it worth the chance?

Was _he_?

She realized that Fathom was still waiting on her, so she shook herself before answering him. "It's a fifty-fifty chance if we use the soul-reader," she said before hesitating. "Is he worth the possibility of it not working?"

Fathom looked between the device laying atop his trunk and the bracelet in his claws. She could see the uncertainty in his expression, and she knew from every future she could see what he was going to say, but she needed to hear him say it. It would make her believe she was doing the right thing.

"Yes, he is," the Seawing said, and she nodded grimly. _So be it._ "He shouldn't be condemned because of what he _might_ do. If he's still the dragon you believe he can be, I think he'll realize his mistakes."

She passed Darkstalker's scroll to him before she walked over to pick up the soul reader, "I hope you're right. There's something you should know, though. I don't think Indigo's disappearance was of her own choosing. You might want to read through his spells…see if he did anything to her." She saw the shock in his eyes, but he nodded, nonetheless.

She placed the bracelet on her arm. According to her visions, there would be no chance of putting it on him if the outcome wasn't what they wanted. "Once you've finished, there's an island to the south of the rainforest that you'll be safe at for the foreseeable future. If I succeed, we'll meet you there." Fathom looked dubious to that suggestion, so she elaborated, "He'll need his friend to help him through the times ahead, Fathom." She brought him into a hug before remembering to warn him, "Whatever you do, don't destroy the scroll, or he'll get all of his power back…Wish me luck."

Fathom nodded as he broke the hug, "Good luck. I hope he's not beyond saving. I really do."

_So do I,_ she thought,_ but I fear he may be. I hope we're doing the right thing._ With one last look backwards, she smiled at her friend. If she didn't succeed, she would never see him again.

She wouldn't be able to see_ anyone_ ever again.

Then, on aching wings. She launched herself through the window toward Agate mountain. She knew that Fathom was watching her fly away, and she wished all the best for him.

She saw Nightwings pouring out of the city in a large-scale panicked evacuation. The Kingdom of Night would be emptied by morning, and the surviving tribe members would search for a new home as far away from here as possible. Never again would the Nightwings return here. She knew that for certain.

With their disappearance, other tribes would cease visiting the city. The Kingdom of Night and its downfall would fade into memory…memory into legends…legends into myths…and then, even those myths would eventually be forgotten.

Somehow, if by a miracle, Darkstalker proved that he wasn't beyond saving, there was a tiny chance that their brighter futures would be possible. There was also an even tinier chance where the Nightwings would accept the both of them into the tribe again. It was minute—almost infinitesimal. It was enough for now, though.

She pushed forward toward the mountain where the fate of the world would be dependent on nothing more then the whims of fate.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this little prologue. The rest of the story (most of it, at least) will be in Darkstalker's perspective. As my second favorite character in the series, I've been wanting to write him some more. I got my chance with this. I hope I did well enough that those who read my other story will give this one a chance.**

**Until Then**

**AdmiralCole22**


	2. Chapter 2

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I had a little bit of free time, so I typed this up in a little over an hour and a half. I hope I didn't make Darkstalker too out of character. This is an AU so things are bound to differentiate a bit, but I hope I didn't go too overboard with it.**

**I won't bore you guys with a long Author's Note, so I'll let you get into it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

Chapter 1:

**Darkstalker:**

He flew on swift wings towards Agate Mountain. Whiteout said that she would be there, and he had no reason to doubt her. The one dragon he had thought he could trust beyond all others had betrayed him—stolen his scroll. _But now I know, I can't trust her._

Perhaps there would be a few changes to his plans for the future. Maybe his Queen would spend her life in his dungeon instead of the throne by his side.

He found her sitting upon a mountain ledge just as the sun's rays began peaking out across the horizon. He landed behind her, but she didn't turn around or say anything. He strode forward carefully when he noticed a satchel around her neck. _ Does that mean she has my scroll? Or is this some kind of trap?_ He hadn't felt her use his scroll, but maybe she used an enchantment to counteract his.

Was that even possible? There were so many things he didn't understand about animus magic, so maybe it was. He did know one thing, though.

He would find out everything there was to know about animus powers.

First though, he needed his scroll.

When he had entered her peripheral vision, she spoke without looking at him, "I'm sorry for failing you, Darkstalker. I have the power to predict every single possible future. I thought I could prevent this from happening, but it seems it was hubris to think I could." He sat down beside her when she finished and she turned to look at him finally, "You have to stop this."

He scoffed, "Stop what? I have only ever done the same as you: control the future. What makes what I'm doing any different that what you have always done?"

She looked away, back at the sun before she answered, "I don't kill dragons." Her tone wasn't accusing or matter-of-factly. She almost sounded…guilty?

"Who have I killed!?" he asked incredulously. "Let's see. I've killed the Icewings that have been trying to exterminate our tribe. I killed my father because he was about to betray us. I'm about to kill the Queen because she tried to have me killed first. So far, these seem like justified reasons to me." He had been counting on his talons for emphasis, but she merely sighed at his explanations.

She reached into her satchel and began pulling out an object. _This is it! Finally! I get my scroll back!_ Though, when she brought it out to where he could see it, his joy turned into rage.

It was the soul reader.

He stood tall with an intimidating growl as he turned to face her. He would give her one chance to explain herself.

He saw fear flash in her eyes before she spoke, "I want you to use this. I can prove that this isn't the bright future you were wanting."

_Oh really?_ His eyes flashed with a murderous rage. She didn't have any time to react before one of his talons shot up around her neck. Surprise filled her expression and she dropped the soul reader as she began choking, but he didn't relent. Instead, he pushed her back until she was pinned against the wall.

He began digging around in her satchel without breaking eye contact until he realized that it was now empty. The soul reader had been the only thing in it. Her talons were scrabbling at his arms, but she couldn't hurt him now that he had impenetrable scales. He looked at her dangerously—a snarl on his muzzle and smoke coming out of his nostrils, "Where. Is. My. Scroll?"

He released the pressure slightly so she could answer him. A coughing fit overtook her before she was able to answer, "P-please s-stop this-s-s." Another coughing fit, "Y-you're hurting m-me."

Wrong answer.

He increased the pressure until he heard her breathing stop. Fear clouded her eyes when he yelled at her, "After your betrayal, I could be doing so much worse than just hurting you! _NOW WHERE IS MY SCROLL!?_" He dropped her—gasping—to the ground.

His wrath was something to behold. Clearsight was sobbing on the ground, but his expression remained remorseless. _She deserves this for betraying me. Maybe if she tells me what I want to know, I'll show her some mercy._

She took a solid minute and a half before she was able to calm down enough to speak, "I'll t-tell you…a-after…you use t-the…s-soul reader."

He looked down her nose at her as he thought. He could force her to tell him, but he didn't want to permanently injure her…yet. It would much easier to just use the soul reader and when she realized that his soul was still fine, she would give his scroll to him. Simple.

With an annoyed huff, he turned away to pick up the device. He was minorly surprised that she didn't try to escape while his back was turned. Regardless, she was watching him intently as he pointed the device at himself. It spun and spun and spun and spun. For several minutes it spun until finally it stopped…

It was almost entirely white.

He was too shocked to do anything, say anything. He just stood there with a dumbfounded expression as he blinked several times. _I'm not dreaming am I?_ He narrowed his eyes as he looked over at Clearsight. She might not have used his scroll, but maybe she had Fathom mess with it. Would he do that?

At this point, he might. Who knew for sure?

Oh yeah, she did.

"What did Fathom do to my soul reader?" he asked in a dangerous tone. She shook her head to signal that he hadn't done anything. There was one way to know for certain, "Take off your bracelet." His tone left no room for argument, so after a brief hesitation, she complied.

With her bracelet removed, all of her thoughts were open to him. He searched her thoughts for several minutes until he came to a single conclusion…

Fathom had only used his magic to enchant one thing: her bracelet. It was a clever plan actually. Put him to sleep and bury him under a mountain of rocks. He would've escaped one day, though. She had to have realized that.

He picked up a large rock as he walked over to Clearsight who was still prone and looking up at him in terror. He threw the rock down and smashed the bracelet—rendering the enchantment useless. He pointed the soul reader at her and it spun for about ten seconds before stopping…

It was almost completely black.

He narrowed his eyes at the device as if it had somehow offended him. He gave the device to Clearsight, "Point it at me."

She did. It spun and spun and spun as long as it did the first time. When it was finished, he looked at it again.

It was all white.

He snatched it back and pointed it at Clearsight again—panic beginning to overtake him. If this thing hadn't been changed, that meant…_ No! I'm not evil! My soul is fine!_

It was all black…

He pointed it at himself…

It was all white...

Clearsight….

All black…

Himself…

All white…

Black…

White…

Good…

…

…

_Evil._

He dropped the device as he stumbled backwards. Even when he fell, his eyes didn't leave the infernal machine. It had to be lying! It had to be! There was no way he was evil!

But the proof was irrefutable.

He had lost his soul.

Or did he? He had enchanted the soul reader to measure the good and evil in a dragon's soul. He assumed that being evil meant that one's soul was gone. What if that wasn't the case? What if he could still save himself?

How could he, though? He had tried to choke Clearsight…

…

_HOLY MOONS! I tried to choke Clearsight! What on Pyrrhia is wrong with me!?_

She was his soul mate! Trying to kill her was…was…UNTHINKABLE!

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a gentle claw on his shoulder. He finally broke his gaze from the soul reader and laid his panicking eyes on Clearsight. He thought she would yell at him—it was what he deserved after all—but she didn't.

She hugged him.

He closed his eyes and returned the hug. She began crying when he did. If that didn't make him feel bad enough, his entire world was turned upside down and his heart shattered into a million pieces when she said three little words, "I forgive you."

As the sunrise graced the land with its beautiful, shining light and brought happiness and life to the world, two Nightwings shared an embrace and shed their tears upon Agate Mountain.

**AN: So what did you guys think? Was the switch too sudden or was it believable? Tell me what you think in a review. Personally, I believe it was believable, but I'm just the author.**

**What do I know, right? **

**Anyways, Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	3. Chapter 3

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: WOW! Two things in one day! It's unbelievable! I guess the good thing about shorter chapters is that I can pump these out within an hour or two. I hope everyone has been enjoying this so far. I've gotten a few good reviews for this, and I can't wait for more. It helps keep me motivated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

Chapter 2:

**Darkstalker:**

After they had dried their tears, the two of them had relocated to Jade Mountain. They watched and waited as the ground shook, making Agate Mountain collapse upon itself. Without her bracelet, Darkstalker could hear all of Clearsight's thoughts. Her heard her self-doubt. She was wondering if she did the right thing.

Darkstalker looked down at his talons—the ones that tried to choke her. He clenched his fist in determination. She had seen the worst side of him. _No. Not the worst. Not even close._ He had seen a few of the possible futures…the darkest ones. The things he would do…

_Is that who I am?_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Clearsight's concern for him grew when she saw him show physical signs of his mental battle. She had seen those futures, too. She saw what he was capable of, yet she still gave him the benefit of the doubt. "I can feel your doubt, Clearsight." She looked over at him guiltily. He looked back at her, "Don't worry. I won't let you down."

"For the world's sake, I hope you're right," she whispered.

He smirked, "When have I ever been wrong?"

She pinned him with a glare, "You don't want me to answer that." He chuckled weakly, _Riiight… _he thought. There was a pause as he looked around the cave that they had found. The quiet drip, drip, drip of water could be heard from deeper in the mountain, and he shivered. _How long would I have been trapped down here if Clearsight had used the bracelet?_ It was so cold and…solitary. "Should we go back to the city?"

He heard her sigh, "You know as well as I do that there's no one there. They all ran away…from you."

He dropped his head, "I know. I just didn't want to believe it." He laid his head on hers, "Where did they go?"

"I don't know," was her immediate reply.

He snorted in amusement, "Yes, you do. Even if you didn't, I know you could find out easily."

He felt her head shift until hers was under his jaw. She took a deep breath of his scent before answering, "If we go there, they'll imprison and torture you."

Darkstalker rolled his eyes, "What would they do to me? My scales are impenetrable and I can't die."

"But mine aren't…and I can," she said after a moment. He pulled his head back and looked at her horrified. "They would torture me and force you to watch knowing you couldn't do anything to save me."

His expression darkened as he looked away. _They call me a monster, yet they would do something like this!? She had nothing to do with this!_ "Where's my scroll? I'll make sure they can't hurt you."

"NO!" she shouted. He looked at her, surprised. "No. You can't use your powers anymore! You have to listen to Fathom and I! If you continue using them, it won't matter how noble your goals are." She paused and looked away before whispering, "You would end up destroying the entire world." She looked at him, and he looked back. _That escalated quickly._

He decided to ask a question that just came to mind. He needed to know, "Are you afraid of me?"

She looked at him before looking away in shame, "Yes. I am afraid of what you'll become if you don't change, Darkstalker." She laughed dryly, "You're the most dangerous dragon that has ever and will ever live…but I still love you." She said that last part with a smile, so he smiled back.

"I love you, too." He pulled her into a hug to which she gladly accepted. His arms and wings wrapped around her, and he rested his head atop hers, "Thank you for giving me another chance. Anyone else would say I didn't deserve it."

"I'm not anyone else, am I?" she joked.

"No, you're not," he joked back. His smile fell when he asked, "So what now? Where will we go?"

He sensed her hesitation to answer, but she did after a while, "Fathom is taking your scroll to an island south of the rainforest. I asked him to meet us there if you…" she trailed off, but he could hear the finish in her mind, _…if you didn't kill me._

He shivered again. Was that a possible future? Would he really have killed her?

…

_No… _He hugged her tighter, "I—" He stopped. He was going to say that he would never hurt her. _I did, though, didn't I?_ So instead, he tried again, "I won't ever hurt you again, Clearsight. I promise."

She released a mirthless laugh, "I'll hold you to that." She broke out of his embrace and began walking deeper into the cave where the sunlight was less severe, "We should get some rest. We can leave once the sun goes down."

Darkstalker nodded his assent. They found a slightly more comfortable place to bed down for the night. Clearsight surprised him when she laid down by his side. They had never actually slept together before. He could hear her doubts: _Did I do the right thing? Is this too fast? Maybe he's uncomfortable and I should move._

To prevent that, he draped his foreleg and a wing over her as he smiled mischievously, "You won't get away that easily." He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You're mine…now and forever."

She shivered against him when she heard his words and felt his breath in her ear. With a smirk on his face, Darkstalker rested his head next to hers. Soon enough, they were both asleep.

**AN: Hope everyone enjoyed this one. Yes, they're shorter chapters, but that's kind of the point for this one. I wanted to write shorter chapters to expand my skill sets.**

**And since you guys got two things in one day, you'll be all set until Thanksgiving break, right?**

**...**

**That was a joke. Nobody panic! I _will_ update before then.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	4. Chapter 4

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Seriously, these things are so much easier to write compared to 8k word chapters. I finished this in like two hours, if that. There's not really much to say in these things, so I'll just get on with it after the short disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Fathom:**

The two all but collapsed on the island when they had finally made it. They didn't stop for fear of being caught, questioned, and who knows what else by any of the other tribes—especially the Rainwings. Their viciousness towards their prisoners was beyond measure.

Fathom looked around the island while his head was on the sand. He was panting from exhaustion, and Indigo wasn't faring any better. It was rather small compared to some, but it was still spacious enough. There was enough room for a family to live…_Or for one to start._ After everything that had happened, he had decided that he owed no loyalty to Pearl anymore. No Seawing would ever give him a chance because of who he _might_ be.

None except Indigo.

When he looked over at her, half-submerged in the shallows, he felt some of his worries wash away with the leaving tide. Although, she did look a little grumpy, "Are you okay?"

She looked at him suspiciously, "When you said we were going to an island, I thought you meant we were going back to the Kingdom of the Sea to find an island away from the Palace. Why are we here?"

_Oh…right. I forgot to tell her._ He looked away sheepishly, "Uh…we're waiting for Clearsight." She didn't look too thrilled about that.

"Haven't we had enough Nightwing-related troubles already?" she moved closer to him and reached for the satchel around his neck. He scooted away before she could see what was inside. She huffed in frustration, "And why won't you let me see what's in that bag…you're not keeping secrets, are you?" Despite his expectation for her to be upset by that, she sounded…flirty.

It was weird.

Indigo wasn't like most dragonesses. She wasn't bubbly or flippant or anything like that. Rather, she was kind of gruff—even blunt. To see her acting like…not that…was strange, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She tilted her head curiously, "Why?"

He studied her with a critical gaze, "You're acting strange, Indigo. Flirty, almost."

She looked away with a blush, "You noticed that, did you? It's just…when I saw where we landed, I thought that you decided to just disregard the Queen. I thought we…" she trailed off before sighing, "But I guess not. I'll go find some food." She turned around abruptly and dove into the water.

He just stared after her in regret before whispering to the breeze, "…but I did…and we were." _I shouldn't have waited to tell her._ Fathom dumped out the contents of his satchel. A single scroll rolled out.

He stared at the black thing for a long while with a mixture of emotions—the two strongest being disgust…and hatred. Fathom wasn't the kind of dragon that would hold grudges or other negative sentiments over another, but this time was a special exception. That Nightwing had tried to enchant him…multiple times! And he almost took away the thing that Fathom loved most of all in this world!

_I should have told Clearsight to bury him underneath the mountain. He deserves to rot, after all._ What's done was done, though. Despite the company she kept, Clearsight was still his friend, and he would stay here until she met them. "What's that?"

He broke out of his reverie with a start and threw some sand over the scroll, "What's what?" he asked innocently.

Indigo looked at him funny as she dropped a few fish on the sand, "The scroll…you know the one you just buried." She studied his guilty expression for a moment before she realized, "It's _his_ isn't it?" she asked with a sneer. "Why do you even have that!? Do you even know what kind of evil that _thing_ has been touched by!?" She was yelling at him now, and he actually lost his own temper a little bit.

"Yes! I do know! And I share your sentiment! Darkstalker is evil! More than that, he's on his way here to find it! I don't know if Clearsight is even with him or if he killed her! I just—" He broke down into tears at this point.

Despite probably being upset with him, Indigo came forward and pulled him into an embrace, "Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad, Fathom. Not at you, at least. I hope Clearsight is okay, I really do. She was a good dragon despite the company she kept. But Darkstalker…he scares me. I try not to let him see it, but he is the most terrifying dragon I've ever met."

Fathom had calmed down a bit by this point, and he whispered, "I thought he was my friend…but he just used me! He used me like Albatross did!"

He heard Indigo sigh, "Yes, he did. I don't know what you may have read on that scroll, Fathom, but you know him better than most dragons. I'll follow you, whatever your decision. I trust you."

Fathom pulled away and looked at her in confusion, "Why? Why would you trust me? If my grandfather and Darkstalker both turned out evil, what's stopping me from becoming evil, too? I'm just like them. I have the same curse!" he glared at his talons for emphasis.

His head was roughly grabbed and forced to look at her furious face, "Don't you ever say that again, do you hear me? You are nothing like them, Fathom! Your heart wouldn't let you be." He looked at her in awe. How many dragons had told him that before?_ She's the only one. She always has been. I'm done waiting!"_

He reached up and pulled her talons away from his face without breaking eye contact. She resisted at first but eventually allowed him to move them. He interlaced his talons with hers before leaning forward and nuzzling her underneath her jaw. She stiffened at first but relaxed eventually. He leaned back and gazed into her surprised gaze, "I love you, Indigo," he stated with utmost sincerity.

She was caught off guard by his confession to be sure, if her rapid series of blinking was any clue. She smiled after a while and looked down with a blush, "It's about time you realized that." This time, she leaned forward and nuzzled him back, "I love you, too, Fathom."

They sat with each other for almost an hour before the sun started going down, and they decided to get a fire going. It was a bit difficult since neither of them could actually breathe fire, but they eventually got a small blaze going. They were quiet as they enjoyed each other's company, but Fathom's smile fell after a while.

Darkstalker would most likely be here tomorrow, and he had no way of knowing if Clearsight was with him or not. If she wasn't, there was a good chance that both he and Indigo would die tomorrow.

He clenched his fists as a small snarl formed on his face. Darkstalker was a powerful enemy, but he was severely weakened without his scroll. There was no way he would let the Nightwing hurt either of them…even if he had to use his magic or the scroll to prevent it.

**AN: So Fathom isn't ruling anything out anymore, is he? What's going to happen when he sees Darkstalker again? I know, obviously, but that is for you to wonder about until the next chapter. **

**In all seriousness, though, did I do a good job with these characters? This is my first time writing Indigo, so tell me if I got her right or not.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	5. Chapter 5

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Another short chapter done in two hours. I love how fast these things get done.**

**I'm going to respond to 2 reviews before I get on with it. I'm not naming names because that just feels too personal to me. It feels like I'm purposefully singling people out when I do that, so I'll just respond without doing that. **

**First, Whiteout will be at least mentioned in the next couple of chapters. I don't know if she'll appear later, but since you pointed it out, she probably will.**

**Second, I realize that Fathom forgave Darkstalker in the actual book, but in my defense, in canon, he had five years to think about everything that happened...not five days. The sense of anger and betrayal would be much stronger this soon after the events in my opinion. This is just my take on this, but I completely understand where you are coming from. I hope that you'll enjoy it, nevertheless.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Darkstalker:**

They had been flying leisurely during the nights and resting during the days. He had originally wanted to fly with all haste in order to reclaim his scroll, but Clearsight had wanted them to take their time. Right now, they were in no hurry. They answered to no one anymore.

For the first time in a long while, their future wasn't filled with darkness and despair…yet. There were still a few lingering strands, but they were the minority now.

Almost a week had passed since they set off from Jade Mountain, and they were finally approaching their destination. Daybreak was almost upon them, but they had pushed through the entire night in order to make it here. At this point, even Clearsight wanted to see her friend again.

They could see two lumps huddled up next to each other—obviously still sleeping. One was a very welcoming green color…the other was a not-so-welcoming purple shade. He sighed at that. If she was here, then Fathom had obviously read his scroll and freed her.

He could hear the excitement in Clearsight's thoughts. She was obviously happy to see both of them again, but Darkstalker couldn't care less about them at the moment. _Where is it? Where is it!?_

He searched frantically yet quietly through the small camp. He didn't want Clearsight to suspect anything as she tried waking the slumbering Seawings. He even went so far as to search through both of their bags. "What are you doing!?" Clearsight whisper-yelled at him.

He payed no attention to her once he noticed a small mound in the sand. Black leather was peaking out from under its cover. He crept forward and brushed the sand off almost reverently before picking it up. He just stared at it with an almost dark satisfaction._ Finally! At long last!_

He realized now that his scroll could easily fall into the wrong claws if he wasn't careful, so without another though, he threw it back onto the sand and bathed it in his fire. All at once, he could feel the energy returning to him. He could feel his claws tingling with all of the magic now at his disposal.

Through this time, he could feel Fathom panicking. He had woken up right when he set fire to his scroll. He looked towards the other three and smiled warmly at them. He could hear the fear in the two Seawings' minds—especially Indigo's—now that he had his powers returned to him, "I apologize for that display," he started smoothly, "but this whole thing made me realize that my magic is safest within me."

He walked over to them with a cool swagger and sat down with a grin, "You should relax, Fathom. I won't use it unless absolutely necessary; I've learned my lesson. Besides, if we stay here away from everyone else, why _would_ I use it?"

Fathom's face suddenly hardened, and Darkstalker was so caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor that he was unprepared for the fist that connected to his jaw. Darkstalker's face has snapped to the side, and he merely looked at an equally shocked Clearsight before turning back to the Seawing standing in front of him. He could hear several different vulgarities that Fathom was throwing at him…as well as why he was so mad, "Listen, I was just—"

Another fist came flying at him, but he was prepared this time. Darkstalker caught Fathom's claw in his own with a snarl. Fathom was the first to speak. When he did, he was accusing and angry. He sounded like a completely different dragon than the one he knew only a week ago, "You tried to enchant me! You tried to take Indigo away from me! Why should I trust you after what you did to us—to everyone!?"

The snarl on Darkstalker's face fell to be replaced with guilt, and he turned before walking away. "You shouldn't," he whispered as he wandered away.

He knew that Fathom would be angry, but he didn't expect him to be confrontational or physical. It was shocking—a crushing blow to his spirit. All but Clearsight had forsaken him, it seemed.

Speaking of which, "Are you okay, Darkstalker?"

He sat down on the beach and watched the tide roll in. "Did you know?" he asked quietly. She was silent as she sat next to him. He turned to gaze at her and sighed when he realized that she did.

"I knew that it was possible, but I honestly did not expect it," she whispered back to him, sympathetically. "I thought that he would be happy to see you again despite everything that happened."

"How likely was it that this would happen, Clearsight?" he asked her. "I need to know, please," he looked her in the eye, pleading.

She didn't answer for a long moment before she leaned her head against his, "About one in ten…I'm sorry," she replied, regretfully.

He wrapped a wing around her as he rested his head atop hers, "It's not your fault." He was quiet for a moment as he thought about everything. It was true that he wouldn't use his magic unless there was no other choice. He didn't want a repeat of what happened in the City of Night.

He didn't want to be evil. He wanted to be remembered as the hero, not as the villain. He wanted to be the Nightwing's savior…not the instrument of their destruction.

He closed his eyes as despair began to overwhelm him. Clearsight would never abandon him, true, but his mother, his sister, his Queen…his best friend…they had all abandoned him. He was truly forsaken. A tear escaped his eye and landed on his soul mate's head.

She looked up at him in surprise. He could hear her thoughts: _Is he crying!?_

He sniffled as he wiped his eyes, "I'M N-NOT CRYING!" he yelled. His voice had cracked in the middle, and she smiled at him, affectionately. "I'm just sweating out of my eyes!"

She laughed, lightly, "Whatever you say, my love."

He was quiet for a minute as he looked back at the two Seawings. They looked to be gathering a few supplies here and there. He could hear that they wanted to build a house…raise a family.

He could hear that Fathom was truly happy now, and it was all because of Indigo. Despite that, he still despised the purple Seawing. Even now, he had unsavory thoughts toward her. He turned away in a rush before shoving his snout under Clearsight's jaw and breathed in deeply. Her scent instantly calmed him down. However, she was glancing down at him curiously, "Are you okay, Darkstalker?"

"No," he answered truthfully. "I need your help, Clearsight." He could feel her confusion at his words, so he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Help me be the dragon you think I can be."

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this. Tell me what you think.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	6. Chapter 6

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: 2 things in one day!? Man, I'm good!**

**Although, I didn't get a single review for the last chapter of this. In my mind, that means one of two things:**

**A) Everyone hated it**

**B) It wasn't good or bad enough to warrant a review. In other words, it was a meh chapter.**

**If you're worried about how nothing has happened yet, I will say that the actual plot starts in the next chapter. I've been taking this kind of slow, I know, but this is all according to plan.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Darkstalker:**

He was sitting by himself as he gazed out at the coming tides. It had been mostly the same these past two weeks. On Clearsight's advice, he had given the two Seawings their space while they at least grew accustomed to his presence. Even Clearsight had spent most days with them rather than with him, but he understood why.

He couldn't expect her to always dote on him. Fathom and Indigo were her friends, too, and as lonely as he had been, he wasn't complaining. He could be patient if that's what it took. _After all, I _am_ immortal, _he thought wryly.

What was a year, a decade, a century even to a dragon who couldn't die of old age?

The one good thing about the solitude was that he had a lot of time to think about the past present, and future. He reflected on the choices he had already made and contemplated on the choices he needed to make now. Though he could see the future, he and Clearsight had both promised not to trifle with the threads of fate anymore.

They had done that before and look where it landed them.

Despite the time he spent thinking, he still blamed Arctic for everything that happened to him. If his father had been more supportive and caring, it was possible that none of this would have happened. Maybe his mother would still be alive…

He sighed as he watched the sunset. He and Clearsight had been trying to change their sleeping schedules to better match the Seawings'. The bright sunlight still hurt his eyes, but Fathom had promised Clearsight when she asked him that it would pass. Apparently, the same thing had happened to them when they went from being active in the night during their stay at the Nightwing city to being active during the day.

Then again, they hadn't been sleeping during the days for their entire lives.

He also spent a lot of time observing the others…like right now. Fathom's anger had dulled considerably in the past two weeks, but there was still some lingering resentment. _I find it completely understandable, though._

As for Indigo…

Well, he still didn't really care about what she thought of him.

"What are you thinking about this time?" He turned around to see Clearsight walking over to him.

He smiled at her as she approached. "The usual," he replied. "I was wondering if tomorrow would a good time to talk with Fathom. Or should I wait?"

She sat down beside him and laid her head on his shoulders as he wrapped a wing around her, "You tell me, Mr. Mind-reader." He knew that she was joking, but somehow, her words made him really self-conscious.

He honestly didn't know why, either. He had never second-guessed his abilities before. Maybe he was having withdrawals? He hadn't enchanted anything for three weeks now._ It would be so easy now, but…I know I can't. I have to keep resisting the temptation._

"I think I will," he finally responded. "I know that you and Indigo are somewhat close now. Could you take her on a supply run tomorrow while I talk with him?"

Clearsight nodded, "If she agrees, yes, I will."

By this time, the sun was almost gone, "I think it's time to go to sleep." She nodded and followed him over to their rudimentary shelter. He had made a lean-to with his own talons a few days after arriving on the island using some driftwood and palm fronds.

They fell asleep together and, for once, the nightmares left him alone.

He woke up a few hours after dawn to the sound of wood breaking and panicked yelling.

He opened up his eyes groggily to see that the 'house' that Indigo and Fathom were trying to build had collapsed…again. _What is this, the third time now? Wait no…it's the fourth. It collapsed in the middle of the night a few days ago, too._ He chuckled to himself as he stood up to go see if he could help.

Fathom looked deflated—more so than usual. Indigo's thoughts were upset, too, but she was trying to stay strong on the outside for Fathom. The green Seawing just observed him as he looked over the collapsed building. "What do you want?" Indigo asked, suspiciously.

"To help," he answered truthfully. "I can tell you now that you'll never be able to build a house using the materials you have here."

"Since when are you an expert on construction?" the purple Seawing shot back.

He looked at her for a minute before answering, "Well, I did take a carpentry class in school. I got an A too."

"If I remember right, you cheated in that class," Clearsight pointed out.

Darkstalker looked at her feeling slightly betrayed, "Who's side are you on, anyways?" She shrugged.

He just rolled his eyes, "The point is…driftwood and loose rocks aren't exactly prime building material. I would recommend cutting down a few trees on the coast and maybe finding some vines to use as rope."

Clearsight nodded, "He does make a good point."

"Cutting down trees in the Rainforest is insane!" Indigo yelled, outraged.

"No…insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting things to change. _That_ is crazy." He smirked at her. If she could breathe fire, smoke would be coming out of her nostrils in waves.

"He's right, Indigo," Fathom said defeated. We can't keep doing what we've been doing. I think we both know it won't ever work." Her glare softened as she looked at him before she sighed and nodded.

"Why don't we go get some better materials?" Clearsight suggested to Indigo. She looked dubious to say the least but didn't argue.

"Fathom, will you help me with the plans?" Darkstalker asked.

The Seawing looked between him and Indigo…who was angry again. At first, Darkstalker didn't think he would, but he eventually accepted. The two females flew towards the nearest shoreline with Clearsight giving him a mental good luck.

Darkstalker was etching some measurements in the sand with a stick as Fathom sat down next to him. "Why are you suddenly interested in helping me?" he asked with no small amount of suspicion.

The Nightwing sighed, "There aren't many dragons that I truly care about, Fathom. Neither, do I care about what they think of me." He turned to look at the Seawing, "You are one of the few that I do care about. I took advantage of your friendship before, and I lost your trust. I won't make that mistake again."

The Seawing was silent as Darkstalker focused his attention back onto his building plans. The Nightwing was smiling to himself as he looked over at the foundation. It was the only thing that was usable from this mess. It was just stone and mortar, but they didn't need anything fancy. After a few minutes, Darkstalker walked over and started sorting through the ruined wood before he held up a salvageable piece, "I know it'll be hard to earn your trust again, so I'll start small. I'm going to help you build your house using my own two claws."

Fathom walked over and grabbed the piece of wood that Darkstalker was holding, "How do we know what's good and what's bad?"

Darkstalker smiled at the Seawing and Fathom smiled back, "Well first…"

**AN: So what did you think? Please leave me a review, so I don't feel like I'm shouting into the wind. Even if it's a 'good job' or 'I liked it', it lets me know that people are actually reading this. The next chapter of this might be out next weekend.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	7. Chapter 7

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: A lot of you have asked for longer chapters regarding this story, but I'm afraid I can't oblige on that issue. Hear me out, though.**

**The way I have this planned out, longer chapters would only make the story overall sound and read worse than it does. The chapters are meant to be short, with only a single scene since POVs switch almost every chapter. I know that sounds a bit far-fetched, but you'll just have to trust me. Later chapters might reach around the 2k word mark, but right now, the chapters will remain at the same length.**

**I'm sorry if that takes away from your enjoyment or your faith in this story, but I hope you guys will understand.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Clearsight:**

As Darkstalker had suggested, Clearsight had taken Indigo on a supply run onto the nearest shore of the rainforest. The hot-tempered Seawing certainly wasn't happy about leaving Fathom alone with Darkstalker. Or maybe she wasn't happy about being so close to hostile territory. Or maybe both…

Yeah, it's probably both.

Clearsight was on edge, too. Like most Pyrrhians, she had heard of the Rainwings' cruelty to those found trespassing in their territory. It made her wonder how they would react if they found out that they were about to start cutting down trees.

Indigo was silent as the two walked along the tree-line. Right now, they were just looking for vines. It wasn't hard to find good vines, and they had collected a nice pile of them when Indigo finally exploded, "I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!"

Clearsight looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Who?" she asked. She probably already knew, but she wanted to be sure.

The Seawing glared at her, "Who do you think!? Your psycho boyfriend may act nice now, but he'll never truly change! He'll fall into his old tricks as soon as he gets tired of living normally!"

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" she tried in a gentle tone.

"Do you really think I care?" she shot back. "I don't trust him. It baffles me that you still do after everything that happened… I can't decide if you're naïve or just stupid." Her tone had slightly softened on the last part.

Clearsight stopped with a small frown, but Indigo kept walking. Once the Seawing realized she was walking alone, she turned around in confusion. The two of them weren't exactly friends, but neither did they dislike each other. Clearsight knew that Indigo had trust issues, and she could understand why that was the case. It wasn't hard to imagine what it must have been like to watch an animus—her best friend's grandfather—murder everyone around you.

Darkstalker almost did the same thing…just on a much larger scale.

However… "I trust Darkstalker because I still have faith in him. I believe that he has as much potential in being a great father and caring friend as he does in being the dragon that could potentially destroy the world." Indigo just raised a skeptical eye ridge, so Clearsight explained. "His fa—" She shook her head and started again. "Arctic hated him ever since he hatched. He was never supportive of Darkstalker, and his mother didn't have the time to constantly watch over him. The only guidance he received was from the teachers at school and even then…"

She shook her head again and sighed, "He's never really had someone that believed in him. You've seen the worst side of him, but he's also the most loyal friend and kind soul you will ever meet. He just…needs help sometimes."

Indigo still wasn't convinced, however, "You really believe that a dragon like Darkstalker can be anything more than what he is?"

Clearsight's frown deepened, "Then why do you believe that Fathom is anything more than an animus? Why do you believe that he should be given a chance and not Darkstalker?"

Indigo's eyes hardened and she looked away with a snarl. She didn't answer, though. Instead, she began storming down the beach again. "Let's just cut down a damn tree already!"

It was easier said than done. The only thing they had to work with was their own claws which quickly became blunted from hacking at the trunk of a decent-sized tree. When they got just under halfway through, they used their raw strength to push the tree over. It fell with a resounding thud.

It had taken several hours to get to this point. Clearsight's shoulders slumped when something else dawned upon her. How were they supposed to cut the trunk into logs that could be carried?

Apparently, Indigo realized the same thing, "Um…how are we supposed to carry this back?" She looked over to the Nightwing and sighed when she realized that Clearsight didn't have any ideas, either.

Clearsight thought for a moment. She didn't think Indigo would like her plan, but she tried anyways. "Well—"

"Absolutely not!" she shook her head adamantly. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no!"

"How else are we supposed to?" she huffed. "I know I sound like Darkstalker when I say this, but it would only be a small spell."

Indigo shot her a glare, "It may be a small spell today, but how long until he starts falling into old habits?" Clearsight looked away at that. _She has a point._

"Maybe we could—" She was cut off again, but not by Indigo. The sound of a snapping branch followed by angry hissing sounded from the nearby trees. The Seawing froze before glancing at her with a sense of panicked urgency. She mouthed a single word…

_Rainwing._

With that single utterance, the threads of fate came slamming to the forefront of her mind without warning. She collapsed in a silent scream as visions and images were seared into her brain.

_A Nightwing assassin prowling around a quiet island in the night among four sleeping dragons. He pulls out a dagger and stands over the male Nightwing before uncertainty and doubt stay his blade. He looks over at the female and plunges the dagger into her heart._

_ …_

_ Fathom was standing over Indigo's broken and bloodied corpse, a distant look in his eyes as rain falls and lightning cracks in the sky. He leans down and kisses his lover's forehead as a single tear falls down his cheek onto the rain-soaked sand. He closes his eyes as he slits his own throat._

_ …_

_ Darkstalker strolling through dozens—no hundreds—of Nightwing corpses with a murderous gleam in his eyes. In the background, an erupting volcano spewing ash and lava into the sky as he roars out a challenge to all who would dare oppose him._

_ …_

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed when the visions stopped. When she looked around, Indigo was gone, undoubtedly chasing the Rainwing to prevent him from revealing their location.

She took to the skies without hesitation and flew back to their little island, a single question echoing through her mind: _Is he destined to become evil? _

_Can it not be stopped?_

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought about the foreshadowing.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	8. Chapter 8

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I meant to have this posted over the weekend, but I was doing a few other things and it slipped my mind. Here it is, though.**

**The plot is beginning to form, but either next chapter or the one after will be the turning point. Stick around until then, and you won't be disappointed. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Darkstalker:**

It only took around thirty minutes to sort through the materials because most everything _was_ crap. With nothing else to do, they gathered some palm fronds from a few other nearby islands. When the two females still didn't show up even after that, Fathom was obviously getting worried.

If his pacing wasn't enough of a clue, his frantic thoughts were. _They should have been back by now! What if they were caught and the Rainwings are melting out their eyes!? Or maybe a tree fell on them!_

Darkstalker rolled his eyes, exasperated. _Some of the things this dragon comes up with are just ludicrous! I'm pretty sure neither of them are dumb enough to let a tree fall on them! _Then again, he did hear the resounding boom of a tree falling a few hours ago… _Okay, maybe Indigo might be stupid enough, but Clearsight isn't…right?_

The longer he listened to Fathom's panicked tangents, the less confident he became. Until finally, he snapped, "WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" Fathom blinked at him a few times, clearly not expecting that. "I can't even think with all of your frantic thoughts and ridiculous scenarios that couldn't possibly have happened running through your mind!"

"Then _why _are you listening?" Fathom asked, hotly.

"You probably wouldn't understand," he replied, much calmer now. "It's not as easy being a mind-reader as you might think. Once you get used to hearing the thoughts of others only to turn it off… The quiet has driven a few Nightwings who tried mad. I, for one, don't want the next to be me."

He looked over at Fathom to see that the Seawing was deep in thought, "How exactly does that work?" he asked, sounding confused.

Darkstalker was about to answer when a new mind entered his range of detection. He could easily recognize who it was, too. "Clearsight's coming back!" he called over to the still frantic Seawing.

"What about Indigo? Shouldn't they be together?" he asked, worried.

Darkstalker smirked to himself as he looked towards the far shore near the horizon. "Maybe a tree fell on her," he replied, nonchalantly.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Fathom all but screamed at him. He went back to his pacing with his thoughts even more frantic than before.

Darkstalker's smirk grew wider. He was rather fond of messing with the Seawing. He used to think that Fathom's constant worrying was nothing but a nuisance. Now, though, he found it oddly amusing.

However, his smirk fell for a frown when he heard the terrified thoughts swirling around in his Clearsight's mind. "Fathom!" he called. The Seawing glared at him for interrupting him again. "Something's wrong!"

Whether or not his friend believed him was of no consequence right now. He rushed over to Clearsight when she landed and she threw her arms around him as she began crying into his shoulder. "W-What happened?" Fathom asked, his worry reaching almost record levels.

Darkstalker gave him a look that clearly said: 'let me handle this.' "What happened? Where's Indigo; is she okay?" he was mildly surprised at the genuine-sounding care and worry in his voice. He didn't like Indigo anymore than the Seawing liked him, but his friends cared about her. For him, that was enough of a reason to tolerate her presence. If she needed help, he would put his pride aside, not for her sake, but for Fathom and Clearsight's, in order to save her.

"I-I s-saw the future," she whispered. His eyes hardened and his jaw clenched. Either unknowing or uncaring of his sudden tenseness, she continued. "Y-You were—"

He pushed her back suddenly. "Stop talking," he commanded. Her mouth snapped shut, and her eyes widened in surprise and fear as she gazed at him. _He enchanted me! _She thought, incredulously. He took a deep breath before continuing, "No one can control the future, Clearsight—not even you. It's dangerous to even try! You can't have forgotten everything that happened, can you?" She looked down ashamed but still didn't answer. He sighed, "You can talk again."

"I'm sorry… It's just—the things I saw…" she looked up at him, pleading for him to do something, even when she knew he wouldn't.

"One often meets their fate on the road they take to avoid it," he quoted. She looked at him and nodded, upset but understanding. "It's best you just forget everything you saw. We'll take life one day at a time, right?"

She nodded, much calmer now than a few minutes ago. Fathom took this opportunity to interject, "Where's Indigo? Why isn't she with you?"

Darkstalker smirked again, "He thinks a tree fell on her."

Clearsight refused to meet their eyes when she answered, "We were seen by a Rainwing." Darkstalker's smirk instantly vanished to be a replaced by a serious expression. "She took off after it, but I was already on the ground because of the visions."

Darkstalker took a deep breath before walking off and gazing at the horizon again. He stood tall and imposing as a growl rumbled from deep in his chest. He could feel the other two watching him—waiting to see what he would do. _I am NOT letting some tree-living cowards come between me and my dream of a normal life! _He turned back to Clearsight. "Take me to where you were spotted," he commanded. His tone made it clear that he would abide no argument.

Clearsight looked at Fathom, worry obvious both from her thoughts and her expression. Fathom looked at him just as unsettled. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Darkstalker didn't even look at him. His gaze was firmly fixed on Clearsight. She finally looked back at him and nodded. She was scared, he could see, both from what she saw in her visions and what might happen that she didn't know about. "Fathom, you're coming, too."

"What!? Why!?" he flinched back in surprise.

"You're going to watch after Clearsight while I go find Indigo," he stated.

_Or what's left of her…_

**AN: Tell me what you think.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	9. Chapter 9

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I know it's been awhile since I last updated anything, and this probably isn't what most of you would like to see compared to my main story, but, sadly, Dragons Change might not get updated until the middle of November. With school escalating among other things, I've had less time to actually write anything.**

**Nevertheless, I hope you all will enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Any OCs in this chapter belong to me.**

**Indigo:**

She glared at the Rainwing. Despite being a pain in her tail while she was chasing after him, he wasn't actually trying to escape from the vines she had tied him up with. He was quiet, too—maybe because she tied his mouth shut.

Despite his cooperative behavior, she had one rather serious problem: What, exactly, was she to do with him? _I can't kill him; I'm not a murderer like Darkstalker. I can't let him go; he'll give away our location. I can't leave him here, either, and I refuse to keep him as a prisoner._

Her gaze never shifted from him as she pondered the dilemma. He seemed young—about their age—and his lean yet toned body indicated at least a decent level of martial prowess. _Probably a scout._ Her eyes narrowed, _or an assassin…_ His scales were mostly a copper color with some brown splotches running down his back. _He kind of looks like a snake,_ she noticed. His eyes looked almost golden in the small beam of light that shone down on him.

He closed his eyes and rested his head on a nearby tree root. Indigo was absolutely stunned at the clear message: 'I trust you, my captor, with my life.' It was almost a surreal feeling. What reason did he have to trust her?

Though perhaps the dumbest thing she had ever done, she came to a decision. She stepped forward and tapped the Rainwing on his shoulder. His eyes opened and looked at her curiously. "I'm going to take the bindings off of your mouth. Do anything rash and you'll regret it, understand?" He nodded.

With a swift flick of her talons, the vines holding his mouth shut were cut. He worked his jaw for a moment to ease the tension before he rose again and looked at her. He smiled goofily at her. "So…you come here often?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't get any funny ideas; I'm not your friend."

His smile turned more genuine. "I would be a good friend to have, though. My name is Copperhead, second son of Queen Anaconda." Indigo blinked a few times in surprise before he leaned in and whispered, conspiratorially, "I'm also her favorite but don't tell anyone that. Shh!"

She actually laughed a bit at that. Something about this Rainwing put her at ease, and she didn't know why. Her expression became a bit more guarded afterwards. "Why did you run?"

He snickered in amusement, "Why did you chase me?" She opened her mouth as if to respond but closed it a moment later. "Us Rainwings don't like it when other dragons cut down our trees, but I'd be willing to overlook it if you gave me a good reason why you did so."

She looked down in thought. What could she say to him? 'Prince Fathom of the Seawings and I have forsaken our tribe and our Queen to build a house and start a family even though said Queen forbid them to be together.' Or 'The most dangerous dragon in history has decided to squat on our island along with his slightly less crazy girlfriend.'

Because_ that_ would show they weren't a threat.

Maybe she would only say part of the truth. "My friend and I are building a house away from all the troubles on Pyrrhia."

He hummed in thought before responding, "I suppose that there _is_ a fair share of wars and fear of Darkstalker going about." Indigo tensed at the mention of Darkstalker's name, and he noticed. He looked at her with a kind smile. "You can trust me Indigo. I've been watching your group ever since you landed on that island."

She stepped back, looking absolutely horrified. "Excuse me!? You mean to say that you've been stalking us for almost three weeks!?"

He shook his head, "Not stalking…observing. Under orders from my Queen, I should add. You see, Darkstalker is an unknown variable. Most of the Queens on Pyrrhia want him dead or captured. Anaconda, however, is not most Queens. She is both curious and concerned about his presence here. I can vouch for you and your group—hence, why I would be a good friend to have. My sister, Cobra, however—you know, the Rainwing that actually hissed at you on the beach—is rather…zealous about keeping our Rainforest protected."

Indigo sat down to process this inrush of information. "You mean it wasn't you that was watching us on the beach?"

He grinned, cheekily, "No, I was still watching you. I was just on the ground instead of in a tree." His expression became more serious. "In all seriousness, Indigo, I can help you. More than that, I _want _to help you! You just have to trust me."

She scoffed, "And why exactly would I do that?"

Another smug grin appeared on his face as he held up his now free claws, "I freed myself about thirty seconds after you tied me up. I've just been polite enough not to, you know…do anything rash." He chuckled at his own joke.

She stared at his free talons that were wiggling around for emphasis before glaring at him. His smile only grew wider before he broke out into laughter. Indigo just rolled her eyes at his antics. He acted carefree, but she had a feeling that he could be equally sincere and caring.

She normally didn't trust other dragons easily, but for some reason, she felt as if she could trust him. However… "What's the catch?" she asked, slightly suspicious.

"The catch…" he began, "Is that all of you would move into our village and you would be placed directly under Queen Anaconda's command." He hastily continued once he noticed Indigo's death glare. "She won't make the same mistakes as the previous Queens you've answered to will, I swear. All of you will be safe from those who would seek to harm any of you."

Indigo pondered this for a moment before shaking her head, "I can't accept this without the others knowing."

Copperhead nodded in acceptance, "We can go ask them if you want."

She raised an eye ridge at him. "And you think that Darkstalker won't kill you as soon as he sees you?"

"I'm so glad that you think so highly of me, Indigo," a sarcastic voice sounded from behind. Indigo followed Copperhead's line of sight to see none other than Darkstalker standing there looking highly unamused.

She glared at him. _Why does he always show up at the worst possible times?_

**AN: What did you think? Did I keep Indigo in character or do I need to make her a bit more abrasive? What about thoughts on Copperhead?**

**Let me know in a review or pm**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	10. Chapter 10

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I'M ALIVE! **

**I know that this isn't the update you guys were hoping for, but the next chapter of Dragons Change will be up within the next few days. If you were curious about why I haven't updated in two months, I'll tell you.**

**When I last updated was right before midterms. I noticed that some of my grades were suffering so I decided to focus on school and put a pause on my writing for a while. With my major (meteorology, if you were curious) comes a lot of homework and a lot of advanced math classes which meant even less time to write, so...yeah. I apologize for not giving a heads up, but if there's a pause like that again in the future, that's probably why. None of my stories are dead, and I fully intend on finishing all of them.**

**Secondly, I don't have any kind of story board. When I was writing these, everything came right off the top of my head. Since I haven't written much of anything in two months, it might take me a little bit to get back into the swing of things. I merely ask you to be patient with me in the coming weeks.**

**With that long note out of the way, here's the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Copperhead belongs to me.**

**Darkstalker:**

Darkstalker was no fool. He had experienced enough scandals, assassination attempts, and ulterior motives while serving Queen Vigilance to know that there was more to this Rainwing's offer than he was saying. No Queen would allow a dragon as powerful as him in their kingdom unless as a weapon or a corpse. That begged the question:

What did Anaconda really want with him?

During his entire thought process, he never once spoke or broke eye contact with the Rainwing. All the while, Darkstalker was listening into his thoughts to try and find anything suspicious—or genuine—in his words.

There were a few things he found out, though. His claim of being Anaconda's son was true, and Darkstalker could easily sense the pure love, loyalty, and devotion he had for his mother. It was true that Anaconda had ordered Copperhead to observe them and only reveal himself at the opportune moment.

From his thoughts, Darkstalker deduced that Copperhead knew that Anaconda wanted him for something, but he didn't know what.

Finally, after almost five minutes of a constant stare-down, Darkstalker turned away with a deep breath and thought deeply about this conundrum. He vaguely heard the Rainwing whisper cheekily to Indigo, "I guess I won our staring contest."

He scoffed, "Whatever. Fathom and Clearsight are waiting on the beach." It was a clear suggestion for them—all of them—to head back there. Indigo inclined her head and glanced at him suspiciously as she walked back and Copperhead followed after a quick glance at him.

There was no conversation during the walk back to the beach as the air was much too tense for anything friendly to be said. Darkstalker, however, spent the entire time thinking. He couldn't make any kind of decision without more information, and the only place to get more information was the Rainwing Queen herself.

Unless…

He sighed heavily to himself. _I hope I don't regret this later._

They arrived on the beach a short while later. Fathom ran over to Indigo as soon as he saw her and threw his arms around her in an intimate embrace. Though clearly surprised at the action, she didn't hesitate to return it. He heard the Rainwing give off a suggestive whistle before laughing his head off at both of their glares.

Clearsight watched him curiously as he approached while throwing occasional glances at the Rainwing. She was more than a little confused when he lead her away from the others with a wing and then gave her a hard look. "I know I'm immediately contradicting myself when I ask this, but…what did you see in your visions?"

She blinked several times in surprise before asking, "You haven't looked for yourself?"

He shook his head, "No. I trust you more than I trust myself—especially with this. Now, what did you see?" he asked again.

She hesitated for only a moment before telling him everything that she saw. He never once interrupted her and when she was finished, he sat in silence as he digested all of the horrible tragedies in their future.

The only problem was: Which path would lead to such darkness? "The Rainwing offered us a place in the Kingdom as long as we answered directly to Queen Anaconda." Clearsight glanced at him and the two Seawings talking amongst each other further up the beach. "After what happened with Vigilance, I'm more than a little hesitant, but…what do you think?"

She shook her head at him, "I don't know. I thought I could control the future before and you know better than anyone what happened." She looked down in despair, "You may trust me with this, but I don't trust myself."

He raised her chin with a claw and looked into her sorrow-filled eyes. "Then don't follow the threads, Clearsight. Follow your heart. What does it believe to be the right choice?"

She was silent for a long time before answering. "It wants to believe that going to the Rainwing Queen is the right thing…but I don't want Anaconda to use you like Vigilance did."

He flashed a small smirk, "No Queen can control me, Clearsight. You know that. If you think going to the Rainforest is the best thing to do, then I'll follow your lead, okay?"

She nodded with a faint smile before leaning in and nuzzling his cheek. "You always know how to make me feel better, don't you?" she smiled.

He chuckled at her response before bringing her closer to him with a wing, and they both began walking back to the other three. Fathom and Indigo were still in each other's arms while Copperhead was shuffling around kind of awkwardly, though he perked up when he saw them approach. "I don't suppose you two have an answer for me? I'd much rather you four come with me to meet my mother than have Cobra dissuade her from meeting you."

"I don't speak for those two, but we'll go meet with the Queen," Darkstalker replied.

A massive grin appeared on Copperhead's muzzle and he began dancing to himself before jumping up and down like an energetic dragonet, "GREAT! When would you like to leave?"

He looked at Clearsight as she answered, "We should at least tell Fathom and Indigo what we're doing. Give us a few minutes?" The Rainwing nodded enthusiastically at her answer.

Clearsight broke away from Darkstalker's wing and conversed with the two Seawings. When she was finished explaining the situation, they looked between each other for a few moments before nodding and walking over. "We'll come with you, too," Fathom confirmed.

Copperhead fist-pumped to himself, "Yes! Alright, stick close and we'll have no problems. Next stop…Queen Anaconda!" He started marching off in the goofiest fashion Darkstalker had ever seen. He raised an eye ridge as he glanced at Clearsight.

She giggled before she started marching off in the same fashion. Darkstalker shook his head in exasperation, "Just to be clear, I am NOT walking like that!"

**AN: So what did you think? Is it still up to par with expectations or has my time away lessened the quality? Is Copperhead a believable character overall?**

**Also, the update schedule is as follows. Before I return for next semester's classes, I plan on posting the next chapter of Dragons Change, a new Bonus Scene (which I plan on renaming Dragons Change: Perspectives), another chapter of this, and then another chapter of Dragons Change.**

**We'll see if I can deliver all of that within the next month.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	11. Chapter 11

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Another chapter here for you, so I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Copperhead and Cobra belong to me.**

**Copperhead:**

Copperhead was positively glowing with excitement. Swirls of bright colors flashed across his scales so everyone could see just how excited he was. As Anaconda's favorite, the Queen didn't let Copperhead out of the village much, so when she agreed to let him observe the four dragons who decided to make camp on an island south of their rainforest, he had been ecstatic.

He had heard stories and descriptions of the other tribes but never had he seen any dragon other than other Rainwings. His mother didn't want him to interact with the prisoners she brought in and 'questioned,' either. He knew she tortured them for whatever reason she felt they deserved, and he knew that was why she was feared by the other tribes—for the messages she left in the form of disposed, mutilated corpses. That's why she was so loved by her own tribe, though. They knew she wasn't afraid to get her talons dirty in order to protect her own.

Yet, despite never leaving the rainforest or meeting dragons from other tribes, Copperhead knew a lot about the goings-on of the outside world. He knew about the rising tensions between the Seawings and Skywings after the massacre. He knew about the war between the Icewings and Nightwings. He knew about the alliance between the Mudwings and Seawings—against the Rainwings.

He knew all of this because he spent as much time as possible with his mother. It had gotten to the point where she didn't even care if he heard her discussing classified information with her spies. In fact, if he happened to not be there when something particularly interesting was discussed, she would usually just tell him later. She trusted him without reservation.

That's why he was the favorite.

It had been in one of these meetings between his mother and her perimeter scouts that he had heard of the aforementioned group of dragons and he had volunteered—especially when the lead scout told the Queen the names he had heard while spying on the two Seawings—they stayed away from the two Nightwings once they arrived in case they could read minds.

He remembered the troubling expression that crossed his mother's face as soon as the name Darkstalker was mentioned. His sister Cobra had been there during that meeting, too, and despite her persuasive protests, Anaconda had agreed to let him observe their new neighbors.

Now—with some unwanted help from his sister—he was leading the small group back to the village to speak with the Queen. He had completed his first mission. He smiled to himself, _I hope I made Mother proud._

"You've been awfully quiet on this trip so far," a voice spoke up and shook him out of his thoughts. He looked over to see Indigo walking next to him with Fathom on her other side.

His smile grew yet remained genuine, "I was just thinking." Apparently his reply drew some curiosity.

"About what?" Clearsight asked.

He was quiet for a moment—a rarity for him—as he thought about how to reply. After a noticeable pause, he answered. "I was thinking about my mother and how proud she will be when I come back from my first mission with you four with me."

"Your first mission?" Indigo asked, skeptically. He nodded enthusiastically. "She sent you to spy on _Darkstalker_ for your first mission?" The mentioned Nightwing grunted in annoyance but didn't say anything to contradict her insinuation.

A cheeky smile spread across his face, "Aww…we just met and you already care about me! Thanks, Indigo!" She rolled her eyes as she struggled to fight back a smile. "To alleviate you concerns…I knew he wouldn't kill me."

Darkstalker barked with laughter. "Really!? And how did you come to that conclusion?"

Copperhead responded immediately, "Because despite how much you dislike Indigo, you never once tried to hurt her." Indigo and Darkstalker glanced at each other before Copperhead continued. "Besides, I have such a winning personality! Why would anyone want to hurt me?"

He noticed Clearsight smiling at Darkstalker out of the corner of his eye. He smiled to himself at the sight. "Do you know how much longer it'll be? I think my talons are about to fall off," Fathom complained.

Copperhead turned to look at him with a smirk, "We've been walking through the village for the past ten minutes."

"What do you—" Fathom's question died in his throat as his gaze followed Copperhead's talon that was pointed up. Rainwings of all colors stood upon platforms and bridges and pavilions watching them as yet more uncamouflaged.

"How did we not notice that?" Indigo asked, stunned.

Copperhead smiled at her but didn't respond to her question. Instead, he spread his wings. "Follow me!" he beckoned.

They flew slowly threw the less dense areas between the trees. He didn't think they would be very good at tree-gliding—especially the Seawings. They landed outside of an empty pavilion, and Clearsight looked around the empty building in confusion, "Where's the Queen?"

"She'll meet with you tomorrow. It's getting late and you've had a long journey. Get some rest; I'll take you to her in the morning," he answered. He heard Fathom sigh in relief as he plopped down on a bed. Though, hesitant, Darkstalker eventually relented as well and laid down next to Clearsight. Indigo was the last to bed down, and when they were all settled, he gave them one last reassuring smile before making his way to the Queen's pavilion.

When he landed outside his mother's home, his excited smile was replaced by an annoyed frown as he heard an unwelcome voice coming from inside. He decided to listen for a moment to hear what Cobra was telling their mother. "…Yes, he knew, yet he brought them here! What does that say about his values? All he's ever cared about is his foolish fantasy of adventure! He wouldn't care if our rainforest was burning down around us!"

Copperhead's scales began turning red in sheer outrage, yet he held himself back when he heard his mother reply. "ENOUGH! I will not sit here and listen to you slander your brother! I told him to bring them here and that is what he did! Now, leave…"

There was a heavy silence before claw-steps started in his direction. Cobra exited the doorway right next to him and her attention immediately snapped to him. They glared at each other for several moments before turned away with a growl and disappeared into the forest.

He sighed in relief before entering the doorway into the Queen's room. He respectfully stopped just inside the threshold and waited for her to notice him. Anaconda sat with her back to him and gazed out into the fading light of the forest. "I am faced with a dilemma, my son," she spoke softly. "On one claw, having both Darkstalker _and _Prince Fathom in my debt would be a huge advantage…" She finally turned to look at him as she finished, "Yet on the other…the punishment for outsiders cutting down trees in my Kingdom is death."

Copperhead winced as he let out a long exhale, and he couldn't help but curse to himself, "Shit…"

**What did you think about this chapter being in Copperhead's perspective? Should I do more from his view or not?**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	12. Chapter 12

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Here's the next chapter. We're really getting into the thick of things now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Copperhead belongs to me.**

**Darkstalker:**

He opened his eyes once he heard their Rainwing 'friend' coming towards their hut. He had been awake for the last hour or so, and he had been merely listening to anyone and everyone's thoughts. He was gleaning information…

Trying to anyways.

It was no wonder the Rainwings were so feared by most of Pyrrhia. The guards and soldiers never once became distracted from doing their duties. There was no gossip between them. _Honestly, how can any dragon be so single-minded about any task?_

He looked up when the Rainwing knocked on the door. He heard Fathom and Indigo stirring at the sound, but Clearsight remained asleep for now. Fathom yawned before getting up to answer it. A few words were exchanged, but he didn't really pay much attention to them when Clearsight shifted closer to him in her sleep. When Fathom shut the door and turned around with a terrified look on his face, the Nightwing became much more serious.

"I think we made a mistake," Fathom whispered. He looked at Darkstalker when he continued. "He said if we can't persuade her otherwise, the Queen is going to execute us!"

Clearsight jumped awaked upon hearing the raised voices and Darkstalker growled. _NO ONE is going to hurt her while I'm here!_ Indigo was the only one who didn't seem worried…though her thoughts gave her away. "Did he say for what?"

"For cutting down a tree," Fathom shook his head in disbelief. Clearsight and Indigo looked between each other with guilty expressions. "It's not your fault," Fathom tried to console them.

"Try saying that when we're all being tortured," Indigo muttered.

"No one's getting tortured," Darkstalker interrupted. "Not even you," he looked at Indigo when he said that. "I'll burn down this whole Rainforest if I have to," he finished with a growl. He felt Clearsight rubbing his shoulder to ease the tension in his muscles.

It worked…if only just. In reality, though he would let no one know, he was nervous. His gaze snapped over to the door when it opened to reveal the Rainwing again. "It's time," he said without meeting their gazes. "I tried to persuade her to pardon you, but…she wants to talk first."

Darkstalker squared his shoulders and squared up to the smaller Rainwing. "You better hope this goes well, _Rainwing, _because if it doesn't…I _will_ kill you for bringing us into this mess."

He actually shrunk down at that before stepping back. With no other choice, the four followed their guide—who was much more reserved than before. He knew the Rainwing felt guilty, and he was surprised at his genuine regret for their situation.

That wouldn't dissuade him from carrying out his threat should this situation go awry.

Their journey was a short one and when they landed, another Rainwing was waiting for them outside with a malicious grin, "I look forward to parading your carcasses through the village, outsiders. It'll be the highlight of my day." She walked away, smug confidence radiating off of her posture.

Darkstalker sneered at her despite the fact she couldn't see it. "That was Cobra," Copperhead whispered.

"I don't care," the Nightwing growled before storming into the Queen's pavilion.

Anaconda looked over at his entrance with a disapproving frown. "I see your manners are somewhat lacking," she spoke absently.

The others followed behind him, though, surprisingly, no one else tried to speak. Apparently, they were leaving this to him. "Manners?" he scoffed. "You'll have to forgive me, but when a Queen threatens to execute those I care about…and Indigo, I get a bit tense."

The Queen shook her head with a chuckle, "Understandable given the situation. The punishment for outsiders cutting down one of my trees is death…" Darkstalker growled threateningly at that, but she continued. "_But_…I would be willing to pardon you—all of you—provided you agree to a few…concessions."

Darkstalker sat down with a malicious smile, "I'm sure you can just forget about our transgressions and allow us to live our lives in peace." Fathom gasped behind him but didn't say anything.

Anaconda studied him with a scornful look. "I see you are not above using magic to sway others," she spoke. Darkstalker's smile faltered as she continued. "Such things do not work on me, Darkstalker. I'm sure you've noticed that you can't read my thoughts, as well."

He _had_ noticed that, but he didn't think much of it since he knew Nightwings could prevent others from reading their minds. He figured she knew how as well. If there was something more going on here like she suggested…

"Let me describe the situation for you," the Queen turned away and walked over to a map of Pyrrhia hanging on her wall. She studied it as she continued speaking. "The Nightwings will never accept you back, Darkstalker, nor will the Seawings ever pardon you, Fathom. That's two tribes out. The Icewings and Skywings are at war with your respective tribes and would kill you as soon as they saw you. That's two more. As allies, the Mudwings would be sworn to return the traitorous Seawing Prince to his tribe for execution. The Sandwings…well they'd just sell you out to the highest bidder.

"The _only_ place you might find shelter is here—in my Rainforest." She paused to let the gravity of their situation sink in. "I am giving you a place to live. If I were you, I would be a little more gracious." She looked over at them once again. Darkstalker looked down in thought. Her analysis made sense…

They had nowhere else to go.

He looked back at Fathom and Clearsight. He couldn't decide on whether to feel defeated or unimaginably angry at their current situation. _Of course, I could just kill them all._

"I wouldn't advise that," the Queen warned. Darkstalker's attention snapped over to her as he merely stared in incredulity.

"How—" he tried.

She smirked smugly. "There is more to me than meets the eye. Did you think me foolish enough to meet _The Darkstalker_ without taking a few…precautions?"

It didn't take him long to realize what she meant and he took a deep breath to calm his raging thoughts. "You have an animus," he concluded.

She studied them for a moment more before another slightly sinister smile spread across her face. "And now…I have two more."

**AN: ****I won't make this too long, but I didn't really like this chapter. I don't really know what it was but there was just something about it that I didn't like.**

**Give me your thoughts in a review. Were the characters in character? Did I portray Anaconda as a cunning yet reasonable Queen. (Reasonable compared to some at least.)**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	13. Chapter 13

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: So I finished this chapter about a week ago but forgot to post it...oops. Sorry about that. I also wanted to say that the lack of updates is due to an even worse school schedule this semester. I'm on campus about three times as much than last semester which means I can't work on my writing during that time. Therefore, for now, I'm going to focus more on this story and hopefully get one chapter out every weekend for the foreseeable future.**

**ALSO, IMPORTANT: For those of you reading Dragons Change, I am officially requesting help... I have had writers block on this particular part for waaaaay to long, so I need your help. I need ideas for a nightmare that would shake Winter _to his core._ Not just scare him or make him upset, but terrify him to the point that he's afraid to sleep again. That sort of nightmare. Credit will be given for suggestions I use, obviously.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Copperhead and Cobra belong to me.**

**Enjoy...**

**Copperhead:**

He had followed the others into the Queen's hut when they followed after Darkstalker. He sat quietly to the side with growing apprehension as his mother and the Nightwing animus argued. _She can't actually be planning to use them as weapons, right? She wouldn't do that!_

He noticed his mother glancing over at him and when she noticed him staring back at her with no small amount of uncertainty, her expression softened somewhat. He smiled wanly at her before his attention was diverted by Darkstalker's menacing growl. "Do you honestly think you can control me? You may have another animus under your control, but I _guarantee _that they aren't as powerful as me!"

Anaconda wasn't fazed in the slightest when she answered, "Perhaps…and maybe I can't control you directly. That's why I'm giving you—all of you—the chance to talk, rather than simply arresting and torturing you." She turned away and looked out the window when she next spoke, "I love my tribe. I'm sure you can understand that."

She looked back at the Nightwing and when he nodded ever so slightly after a lengthy pause, she smiled, this one much kinder than her previous ones, and continued. "I do everything I can to make sure the enemies I have made outside this rainforest _stay_ outside." She paused and shook her head, "It's a delicate balance. I must make them afraid…but not too afraid. All while making sure my tribe has an air of…danger and mystery. Make sure that said enemies have reason to fear us but not reason enough to attack us.

"Cobra doesn't understand this. I fear that if she takes my throne, the Rainwing tribe will be doomed to fall. I am not afraid to get my talons dirty, but for the first time in my life, Darkstalker, I don't know what to do. How am I to kill my own daughter?" She looked at him, as if awaiting an answer.

Copperhead realized it at the same time Darkstalker did apparently. "You want me to kill her," he stated matter-of-factly.

She nodded, "Do this for me…and perhaps a few other small things later, and I will permit you to stay." He stared at his mother in complete horror now that he knew the truth. Yes, Cobra was a pain-in-the-tail but she didn't deserve to be assassinated.

"What's the catch?" Indigo finally spoke up. Darkstalker glanced over at her before turning his attention back to the Queen and nodding. He wanted that answer, too.

"The only catch is that if I tell you to do something, I expect it to be done. Your tenure in my forest hangs on my goodwill, after all." Copperhead had heard enough by this point. He turned and darted out of the hut barely hearing his mother calling after him.

Cobra may not have been his favorite sibling—or even his favorite dragon—but she was still his sister. He remembered a time when she wasn't as cold-blooded. He remembered the tender-hearted dragoness that took care of him and held him when he was a young dragonet barely out of his egg. It saddened him to remember because the reality of what she was now hurt.

He had to find and warn her. Maybe Cobra could talk their mother down, convince her that she didn't want the throne. As he ran, flew, and tree-glided through the village trying to think of where to find Cobra, he was so lost in his thoughts that he was unprepared for another dragon to tackle him.

He rolled with the momentum of the attack and popped back up onto his feet, immediately going into a defensive posture before he paled at seeing a furious Darkstalker standing in front of him. "Going somewhere?" the Nightwing challenged. Copperhead began backing up. _I can't run from him, but maybe I could hide? _Darkstalker's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so," he stalked forward with a murderous glare. "You aren't going anywhere."

Copperhead's muscles locked up suddenly, and he looked at the Nightwing in sheer terror. He was beginning to see why half of Pyrrhia was terrified of him. This dragon wasn't afraid to punish those that pushed him too far…and he wasn't afraid of the consequences of using his powers. "How did you… You didn't even say a spell!" he yelled in both confusion and fear.

Darkstalker walked around and behind the frozen Rainwing. Copperhead's eyes tracked the Nightwing as far as they could without moving his neck. There was silence for several moments before the Nightwing whispered maliciously in his ear, "Are you afraid of me?"

The Rainwing tensed immediately, "Y-y-yes!"

He felt a claw grab his face and yank him around to look into the Nightwing's eyes. His breath caught at seeing the shear amount of anger and hatred that Darkstalker wasn't even trying to disguise. "Good," he snarled. "It'll make this more fun."

"W-what?" he stuttered. _I'm not sure I even want to know the answer._

Darkstalker smirked—a cruel and twisted expression if he ever saw one. "Wouldn't you like to know," he taunted. "I wonder, though…It's clear Cobra holds a high level of disdain for you. Why would you care if she dies—especially since you aren't her biggest fan either? If _Anaconda,_" he all but spat her name, "is right. The Rainwings would be better off without her."

Copperhead bristled with anger. "Maybe she _is_ overzealous about protecting our borders. Maybe she questions our mother too much, and _maybe_ that hasn't made her the most popular dragoness in the village, but she doesn't deserve to die!"

Darkstalker began pacing back and forth like a predator judging his prey. "Give me one reason," he challenged.

"BECAUSE SHE'S MY SISTER!" he screamed at the Nightwing. His outburst caused him stop suddenly. Copperhead noticed and took this chance to push his new advantage, "Despite the fact that everyone thinks she's crazy, I still love her, and I would do anything for her." He snapped a glare back to Darkstalker, "Is that such a crime!?"

He noticed Darkstalker's sullen posture. The Nightwing was silent for several minutes before he sighed heavily. "Go," he whispered.

Copperhead's muscles unlocked and he flopped down on his stomach at the sudden unexpectedness. "W-why?" he chanced a question.

Darkstalker began walking away, but the Rainwing was able to catch what Darkstalker mumbled, "Because you reminded me of my own sister."

**AN: Leave your thoughts in a review if you so desire and I will catch you all again over the weekend.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	14. Chapter 14

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: A new chapter for Phat Tuesday just like I promised! How long has it been since I actually came through with one of those, huh? Anyways...**

**WARNING: Language and slight torture in this chapter. I think this chapter should be rated M for those reasons.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. **

**Clearsight:**

When Darkstalker had left to chase after Copperhead, the rest of them had been escorted back to their hut by two stoic Rainwing guards. Nobody spoke during the entire trip and when the group made it back, Fathom, Clearsight, and Indigo went inside while their two guards remained outside.

Almost a half-hour of awkward shuffling had passed before Fathom broke the silence, "Do—Do you think he'd actually…do it? Kill her I mean." He spoke quietly as to not arouse the guards' suspicions. He looked at Clearsight when he posed the question, and she looked down in response.

She looked down because she was ashamed of herself. She should have immediately said 'no' but couldn't. For, in truth, she didn't know. "He was trying to change, but…" She shook her head, "I don't know."

Indigo scoffed, "Seriously? This is _Darkstalker_ we're talking about! Of course he will, it's who he is!"

"Flattering as ever, Indigo," a new, familiar voice sounded from the doorway. Clearsight jumped up and rushed over to him. Darkstalker wrapped her in a warm hug to which she gladly returned before he whispered solemnly, "I couldn't do it."

Clearsight sighed in relief at his proclamation._ I had hoped you would say that._ His hold on her tightened upon hearing that thought. Their moment was interrupted by an angry Seawing, though. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? YOU HAD ONE JOB! Great time to go soft when ALL OF OUR LIVES ARE AT STAKE!"

"Indigo," Fathom tried to intervene. He placed a comforting talon on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and stalked forward.

"No, Fathom! I've had enough! I tried to give him a chance because you trusted Clearsight enough to trust him, but no more! He has brought nothing but misery, pain, and death to everyone that comes near him, and I won't be just another body to add to his already staggering pile!" She glared at him and he glared back.

"I'm beginning to wonder who the real monster here is," he growled. Indigo narrowed her eyes even farther—if that was even possible. "I'm not going to kill an innocent dragon…despite how much I want to."

"So you'd rather us be killed?" She shifted her attention to Clearsight. "I told you that you should stay away from him. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. I doubt he even—"

She was cut off when Darkstalker released a furious roar and she was sent flying backwards through the wooden wall of their hut and down to the forest floor where she impacted with a loud thud. Clearsight and Fathom watched in silent terror as Darkstalker stalked forward with a murderous aura. When he leapt out of the hole, Clearsight moved forward to better see what was happening.

Vines and roots had come to life and had wrapped themselves around Indigo's legs, tail, and neck. She was splayed out like a starfish—completely helpless. Even from this distance, Clearsight could see her fear as clearly as she could see the utter hatred in Darkstalker's expression.

She glided down to the forest floor just as the Nightwing had reached his helpless prey. She vaguely saw other Rainwings looking on the scene with varying degrees of either interest or fear.

She quickly closed the distance and could see that Darkstalker was _shaking_ with the effort it took to control his probable desire to just end the Seawing's life. "Darkstalker…" she whispered in horror. He didn't even acknowledge her.

She watched as he placed a single talon near her gills, and her eyes immediately widened in sheer terror. "Did you know that a Seawings' gills are the most sensitive area on their body?" he asked. She nodded as the color flushed from her scales. "I've heard that they can be a source of great pleasure during intimacy…just as they can be a source of unimaginable pain."

Fathom joined her at her side at that moment and together they heard Indigo's whimper as the Nightwing increased the pressure on her gills. Indigo's gaze flicked over to Fathom, but the Prince didn't move. He didn't want to do anything that could set Darkstalker off and put Indigo through any more pain than necessary. They had no choice but to wait…and hope he didn't kill her.

"_Never_ call my love and commitment to Clearsight fake again, or next time we'll see how loud I can make you _scream_!" He released her with a growl and started walking in the direction of the Queen's Pavilion. The Rainwings in his way promptly disappeared from sight and got out of his way as quickly as possible.

The vines holding her down released her as well and Fathom rushed forward and wrapped her in an embrace. Clearsight watched as Indigo broke into heavy sobs. The proud, tough dragoness had been closer to death than anyone would like to admit, and Darkstalker knew how to make dragons fear him.

The fact that he hadn't killed Indigo was testament to how hard he was trying to change. A month ago, he wouldn't have hesitated.

Clearsight walked closer to Fathom as he comforted the other Seawing. "He never said anything," Fathom whispered to the Nightwing. "How is that possible? All animus dragons have to say their spells verbally."

Clearsight shook her head, "I don't know…but he's never exactly been ordinary, has he? Maybe his powers are stronger than we thought…" She trailed off as Indigo began calming down and her fear was replaced by righteous anger.

"Does it matter!? HE'S A FUCKING PSYCOPATH!" She yelled at the top of her lungs in the direction the Nightwing had gone.

"Haven't you pushed him far enough?" Fathom admonished her. "You should count yourself lucky that he didn't push down any harder on your gills than he did." He brushed a gentle talon against the irritated and swollen tissue, and she shuddered. "Don't instigate him, Indigo…just give him some distance for a while."

She tucked her head underneath his jaw, "Why do you trust him?"

He was silent for a long time, so long in fact that Indigo pulled back and looked at him curiously. Clearsight had to admit she was curious, too. She wasn't aware of any reason why Fathom should trust Darkstalker other than because _she_ trusted Darkstalker, and Fathom trusted _her_.

"Because he said that he approved of our relationship…despite how much he doesn't like you. He was trying—giving you a chance. I trust him because I know _who_ he can be rather than_ what_." Clearsight smiled at that. It was exactly why she trusted Darkstalker.

**AN: I know this chapter seems pointless, but it isn't. Trust me. This chapter is actually quite important in the scheme of things. Why is that, you ask? You'll just have to wait and see... **

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	15. Chapter 15

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I don't have much to say up front besides this: Spring Break for me isn't this week like I thought it was. It's actually next week. Although, I have started on a new Perspectives that I had planned. I want to finish that before I start on the next chapter of Dragons Change.**

**Second: In case you get confused at the beginning of this chapter. I meant for it to be like one of those scenes in movies where there's a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other signifying both sides of the person's conscience. Just without the little devil and angel.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Copperhead and Cobra belong to me.**

**Darkstalker:**

_I should have just killed her,_ he thought as he stalked back towards the Queen's Pavilion. _It would have been easier._

_But would it have been right?_ He argued with himself.

_Who cares about right or wrong!? We're the most powerful dragon on Pyrrhia! We should be _taking_ what we want, not bowing to a Rainwing of all dragons!_ The first voice had a point. Why should Anaconda hold sway over him? He may not be able to use his magic against her, but he had no qualms about making things…bloody.

_Remember why we're suffering through this degradation in the first place,_ the second voice fired back. _Clearsight believed in us enough to give us a second chance. We should at least _try_ to prove her right. And Fathom would never have forgiven us._

_ That…is a good point,_ Darkstalker thought to himself.

_Oh don't tell me you're going soft,_ the first voice came back with a derisive tone. _Did you forget the feeling of having an entire tribe of dragons fear you? Who needs friends when you can have power?_

_ I don't _need_ them, _he argued back.

_Of course not,_ the second voice reasoned. _ But you do _want_ them. Why else would you have spared that annoying Seawing's life? I'll tell you a secret if you want._

_ Alright, humor me. What secret?_ Darkstalker challenged the second voice.

_You put up with her in order to make Fathom happy. You even told him as much. Why did you do that, though? Well, here's why: You _want_ Indigo to trust you. You want her to be your friend…but you don't know how without simply enchanting her._ Darkstalker could pretty much hear the smugness in the second voice.

_…That's ridiculous. I don't care if she is my friend or not._ Darkstalker argued back.

_Then perhaps something more…intimate,_ the first voice said with a sensual tone._ We heard your filthy thoughts when she was helpless beneath you. We felt your enjoyment when she squirmed under your gaze._

Darkstalker growled and shook his head to silence the voices. They were becoming a constant annoyance—one he couldn't escape. He only heard them when he was sufficiently angry…for now.

_Hearing voices is never a good sign, especially for animus dragons. I wonder if it has anything to do with my powers increasing in strength? _For indeed, since burning his scroll, he had noticed his powers becoming more potent—almost as if they were evolving._ No one else needs to know about it, though. Knowledge can be power, too._

With his internal dilemma figured out, he strode up to the guards outside of the Queen's door. "She's expecting you," the young male on the left said. "Go on in."

Darkstalker nodded. "While I appreciate you leaving my son unharmed, you did not do as I asked," the Queen turned around with a neutral expression, though Darkstalker could easily tell how displeased she was. "May I ask why?"

"I can't kill her," he said simply.

"Can't or won't," she challenged. "I would think hard before answering, Nightwing. And be glad I am giving you a chance to explain yourself. If you were anyone else, you would already be dead."

He let out a thoughtful, "hmm," before answering. "I am giving us both another option. You don't want your daughter dead, no matter what you say. What you _need_, however, is for your position as Queen to be secure from a future challenge."

Anaconda's expression shifted to one of intrigue, "And what are you suggesting?"

"You could exile her, for one. Otherwise, I could enchant her to be more…agreeable to you and your rule." Darkstalker sat patiently as she thought before she nodded.

"Do what you think is best but do not come back here unless you have succeeded. I will not be as understanding next time, understood?" Darkstalker grit his teeth in annoyance. Almost as if she understood his plight, Anaconda continued before he turned to leave. "As I said before, Darkstalker, I respect you. Do not mistake your current situation as something lower than it is. Once you do this for me, you and Fathom will be granted full citizenship in my Kingdom along with your partners. You will have as normal of a life as possible considering your situation. I don't want us to be enemies. Understand _that_, if nothing else."

He left without another word when she motioned for him to go. Perhaps, this wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Meanwhile, with Copperhead:**

He had spent quite awhile searching for Cobra, and he finally found her near the village's south border. "Cobra, wait!"

She stopped, momentarily surprised, before she sneered at him, "Why are you following me?" She turned to him in an aggressive stance and he stopped several paces from her.

He looked at her with sadness, "I don't know what I ever did to make you hate me, Cobra, but whatever it is doesn't matter right now. Mother just hired Darkstalker to kill you."

She flinched in surprise before composing herself and narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion. "Then why are you telling me? I thought she could do no wrong," she mocked him. "Isn't that why you're the favorite? Because you think she's infallible?"

"This has nothing to do with me!" he challenged. "Your life is in danger, Cobra!"

"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out. "Why tell me? Why not let your new outsider pal kill me?"

Copperhead took a deep breath to steady himself. How was he supposed to get through her pride and stubbornness? How could he make her understand? He opened eyes he hadn't realized he had closed. "What did you say to me on my third hatch-day?"

Her expression softened ever-so-slightly, but she shook her head, "I fail to see how that is relevant."

"What did you say!" he yelled at her.

She sighed as the tension in her muscles dissipated and she slumped in defeat. "I said that I would do anything to keep you safe," she whispered.

Copperhead nodded. "Because…" he pressed.

She looked at him, "Copper…" she tried to plea but sighed once more when his gaze never wavered. "Because you are my brother…and I love you."

He nodded, his emotions beginning to affect him, "And what did I say?" he whispered.

"That I will forever be your favorite sister…no matter what," she shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you remembered that."

He smiled. "So did you. Which means it had to mean something to the both of us."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I guess it did." She paused for a moment, "What do you want me to do?"

**AN: I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought. Please?**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	16. Chapter 16

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Sorry about not posting this yesterday, but I had a headache all day and didn't feel like doing anything. However, in hopefully better news, I have this week off from school as well due to the coronavirus, so I _might_ have the next chapter of Dragons Change out by this weekend. It's about a quarter-done already, so if I don't have any obligations, interruptions, or writer's block, I should be able to get it done.**

**Alright, this is a bit of a special chapter as it begins a parallel event chain that happens outside of the Rainforest and Darkstalker's group. This is where things start to get interesting now that outside forces are beginning to be involved.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Cobra and Copperhead belongs to me.**

**Cobra:**

Leaving the Rainforest was something she never thought she would do. She had always believed that her place in the tribe would always be secure, but apparently, her mother decided to hire Darkstalker—an _outsider_—to kill her. Despite her brave face and considerable resources, she knew she stood no chance against him. No one did. Only another animus would have a _chance_—a small one, but a chance, nonetheless.

That's why she had thought about asking Zephyr for protection, but the Skywing animus that her mother had saved as an egg was still just a dragonet. Copperhead made a point when he stated that she probably wouldn't even help due to her loyalty to Anaconda, and even if she did, her power probably couldn't compare to Darkstalker's.

She couldn't simply hide somewhere in the Rainforest as her mother knew everything that happened within its borders. It wouldn't be long before she was found and her assassin would come calling. And so, with no other options, she left.

Copperhead had suggested going to the Sandwings to pay for protection. It was a sound idea as they were known to do that, but if they received a larger payment for her head…

Let's just say that their loyalty was to the highest bidder.

Going to them held no guarantee for her prolonged survival. The Icewings wouldn't let her in since she was no longer royalty, and so not a diplomat. The Mudwings and Seawings were enemies to the Rainwings, so there would be no safe asylum amongst them. The Nightwings had disappeared. A pity, really, if she had shown up and bartered Darkstalker's location for her safety, they probably would have agreed. The Skywings _might_ be her only chance.

Anaconda had been trying to secure an alliance with them since the massacre—the enemy of my enemy, after all. So far she had had no success with a formal treaty, but the two tribes were known to cooperate with each other. Perhaps, if she stayed out of her mother's way for a while, she would be safe there.

So, that's where she was headed as of now. Unfortunately, she couldn't take the direct approach to Queen Carmine's palace, as that would take her over Mudwing territory. However, despite what the official tribal borders were, everyone knew that the Skywings _owned_ the mountains. If she went west to the mountain range there and followed it north, she would undoubtedly run into a Skywing patrol that she could then barter safe passage to the palace with.

It had been three days since her exodus from the Rainforest and she was now near the midpoint of the Claws of the Clouds mountain range when she saw the first Skywing patrol. The were flying south as she was heading north. Once they saw her, they changed to an intercept trajectory.

They seemed ready for a fight, but once they saw she was a Rainwing, the tension lessened, albeit slightly. She remained hovering in place as they surrounded her, weapons visible but not at-the-ready. The scout captain hovered before her and addressed her with a business-like, no-nonsense voice. "Who are you, and what is your purpose here?"

"My name is Cobra," she began and recognition flashed in the captain's eyes.

"Queen Anaconda's daughter?" he asked.

She nodded and continued, holding up a claw to regain his attention. "My mother wants me dead, but I don't know why. She sent an assassin to kill me which is why I left the Rainforest. I was hoping to find asylum in the Sky Kingdom."

The captain looked deep in thought before motioning down to the ground, "Why don't we continue this conversation on the ground? We can talk over some food." Her stomach growled at the mention of food, and she nodded at his suggestion, embarrassed.

They landed on a small mountain plateau, and they captain ordered four of his nine dragons to go hunt for food. They split up, two and two, and went in opposite directions to better search. Once that was done, he turned to her. "Do you happen to know the name of your assassin? I might know of him."

She looked around the camp and noticed that the others were trying to appear occupied, but they were waiting to hear her answer, too. She shook her head, "I have no doubt that you know of him, but…" She trailed off before lowering her voice, "I don't want to cause a panic."

Needless to say, the captain was as intrigued at her statement as he was suspicious by her refusal to answer. "Well, that complicates things," he said, after a moment. "I'm sorry to say, but I can't bring you with us if you don't tell me. Understand, if you are the target of an assassin, I am putting myself and my dragons at risk to bring you to the palace. If he or she decides to attack you while we are in transit, I would like to know who they are to better prepare for a possible attack."

Cobra looked at him for a long moment. He spoke the truth, and despite her better judgement, she decided to tell him. "You couldn't prepare for him even if you tried," she replied with a hint of sadness.

He smiled, "Don't underestimate us. We may be simple scouts, but all Skywings are fierce fighters." The other scouts in the group cheered in agreement at his statement.

She smiled back at him, "Of that I have no doubt, but…" Her smile fell. "That doesn't mean anything to Darkstalker."

The captain's eyes widened with fear, and the other dragons began panicking, as well, but he shook his head and called the others into order. "The last we heard was that The Darkstalker had disappeared along with the rest of the Nightwings. Do you know something we don't?"

She nodded, "My mother found him with three other dragons on an island south of the Rainforest. I didn't really pay attention to their names, but two were Seawings. The fourth was a female Nightwing that he seemed rather close to."

"Hmm," he looked down in thought. "Were the Seawings male and female?" She nodded. "Did the male have a spiral pattern on his wings while the female was almost a purple color?"

She nodded in surprise, "How do you know all that?"

He turned to two of his dragons, "Go find the others. Tell them we are leaving _now._" The two dragons bowed their heads and placed their right fist over their heart in a salute. "Prince Fathom and Indigo have been missing since the disappearance of the Nightwings and Darkstalker," he told her. "Come on, we best get you to Queen Carmine as soon as possible."

**AN: What did you think? Is it starting to get interesting? We'll see more of Cobra later on, but it's back to the rainforest next chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review at your own discretion (or if you're feeling generous).**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	17. Chapter 17

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: It's back to the rainforest we go to see what's happened with our favorite Nightwings and Seawings. Not much else to say but enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Cobra and Copperhead belong to me.**

**Clearsight:**

The Queen had summoned Darkstalker rather abruptly while the four of them—well, Indigo didn't stray within striking distance of the Nightwing animus—had been spending time with each other in their new hut. They had been relocated after the…incident. Darkstalker had been in a particularly foul mood, too, so Clearsight couldn't really blame Indigo for being wary.

Fathom tried giving the Nightwing space, as well, which she knew Darkstalker appreciated even if he wouldn't say as much. Only she dared remain close to him. She didn't fear him anymore. She feared what he might be capable of should things take a jog to the left and she feared _for_ him, but she didn't fear him personally.

He had been unbelievably tender and kind towards her ever since Agate Mountain. She was absolutely certain that he would never again hurt her because his actions spoke volumes.

Anyways, he had been with the Queen long enough for her to begin to worry. Fathom had tried to allay her fears, saying that Darkstalker could take care of himself. Of that, she had no doubt, but she didn't stop worrying until he strode through the door of their hut. All of the tension that he had felt since coming here seemed to have melted away, and he looked positively relieved as he smiled at her.

He threw his arms and wings around her, holding her close. It was unexpected but quite welcome after the events of the last few days. "Darkstalker?" she asked, slightly concerned by his continued silence. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head an pulled away. He smiled at her lovingly before kissing her tenderly on the cheek. "Nothing is wrong, my love. We have a home."

She looked at him, both concerned and surprised. "Does that mean you…" She trailed off when he shook his head.

"I didn't have to. She's left the Rainforest entirely, so Anaconda decided that it was enough to grant us a place here." As he spoke another Rainwing appeared and spoke with the two guards. After a few quick words, they saluted and flew off.

When the Rainwing entered, everyone stared upon him in shock or surprise. For standing there, wearing a weary smile, was Copperhead. He hadn't been seen—by anyone—for the last few days, and they were beginning to suspect that he went with his sister. "What happened to you?" Indigo gestured to his haggard appearance.

He sighed in amusement and released a small chuckle. "I've had better days before. Let's just leave it at that for now. My mother has assigned me to be your guide around the village until you get accustomed to living here…and to show you to your new homes."

"Homes?" Fathom asked. "As in plural?"

Copperhead nodded. "The Queen thought it best that the two couples have their own privacy should you wish to…ahem…" he cleared his throat with an awkward and slightly apologetic shrug.

Everyone blushed when they understood his meaning, including Darkstalker. That didn't stop the sly Nightwing from flashing her a roguish grin when she looked up at him. She looked away with a shy smile. Maybe it was too early for _that,_ but that didn't mean they couldn't do…other things together.

"Follow me. I think you two will like the location we chose for you," he said while looking at Indigo and Fathom. "Make sure you're ready, though. It's quite a flight."

The four of them looked between each other, curious as to why the Queen chose a spot that was apparently so removed from the main village. Without further conversation, they took wing flying in a familiar direction. It was near sunset when they alit upon the very same island that this whole ordeal had started upon. Only this time, there was a beautiful wooden cabin with a decent sized pavilion made of large wooden poles and covered by palm fronds.

It would be a fantastic place to lay in the shade and simply watch the waves or spend a tender moment together watching the sun set or rise. Fathom and Indigo both stared at the masterfully-crafted house in wonder. "Mother decided to put that fallen tree to good use, huh?" Copperhead said with a smile.

Fathom could only nod in silent agreement, but Indigo…

The Seawing had tears in her eyes as she stared at their new house and then her beloved Prince. Clearsight took the moment to look and Darkstalker and gauge his expression. He was staring at the house, as well, but she could tell by his expression that he was conflicted about something. When he noticed her staring at him, he looked away with an eye roll and an exasperated huff.

She smiled. Try though he might to hide it, she knew what he was thinking. He just didn't want her or the others to see it until they were alone in _their_ new home. After farewells were said with a surprise farewell to Indigo from Darkstalker, the two Nightwings followed Copperhead back to the Rainforest. It was well after dark when they arrived back in the village outskirts. By her reckoning, they were only another several minutes flight from the village itself. The dark didn't bother the two Nightwings in the slightest, and there was enough light from the moons to see by, so Copperhead didn't stumble about to badly.

"I heard that Nightwings preferred to live in caves or stone dwellings, so we decided to get a bit creative when selecting your home. We tried to clean it up as best we could, but I'm sure you two could make it fell more like a home than we could." He stopped walking suddenly and gestured, with a smile, to a large cave that had a gentle slope downward where a warm light emanated from. She could smell smoke from here.

They entered with bated-breath, not knowing what they might see, and gasped when they turned a corner. Luxurious furniture, expensive paintings, and other such grandiose things—all of Nightwing origin—decorated the large common cave they found themselves in. A blazing fire took up the center and the smoke exited through a ventilation hole directly above them.

The bedroom, which was in another room adjacent to this one, was no less luxurious. There were two other bedrooms in the other caves, and another room that caused both of them to catch their breaths. A cave larger than the common cave stood before them, and in the wall were shelves filled to the brim with hundreds of scrolls or artifacts that she recognized from the Nightwing archives. Another large fire blazed in the center of this room, too.

Clearsight wasn't ashamed to say that she cried tears of absolute joy and happiness when she realized this was now her home. Darkstalker looked back at their Rainwing guest as he stood there watching them with a genuine smile. "W-why? How?"

"The Queen wanted you to have only the best. We retrieved these items from the abandoned Nightwing city just for the two of you." He looked around at the luxurious items. "Do you like it?"

Clearsight wanted to answer, but she was too emotional for any words to escape. It was Darkstalker who broke the silence. "Why do this for us?" he asked in wonderment, seemingly forgetting all of the hostility he had once harbored for this dragon.

He smiled kindly at them. "Queen Anaconda is merely giving you what she feels you have always deserved…a normal life and a brighter future."

**AN: I know not much happened, but this chapter was meant to show you the start of their new life. Next chapter will be _much_ more interesting. I guarantee that. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. Leave a review if you so desire, and I will be back with another chapter on Monday if I don't get it up this weekend.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	18. Chapter 18

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I don't really have much to say, so let's just get on with this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs, Copperhead, Cobra, and Commander Trench belong to me.**

**Cobra:**

The Captain had made it quite clear that he wanted to push on through the night, but Cobra—and the other guards—weren't too happy about that. So, rather than forcing his men and charge to do something they didn't want to, he reluctantly decided to settle down for the night.

Half of the guards were stationed on guard duty because they were too close to Seawing territory for comfort. It was in the wee hours of the night. Cobra was sound of asleep…

Until the screaming started.

She awoke with a start and looked around. Flashes of red scales mixed with blues and greens in the firelight. One of the scouts suddenly appeared before her. "Cobra! You need to—AGH!" a spear erupted from his chest, blood spraying upon her acidic green scales, as he let out a sickening gurgling sound as he choked on his own blood before his body collapsed with an audible thud.

She watched with fearful, wide eyes as blood began pooling around the body and spread upon the stone on which it lay. A moment later, she realized with rising dread that it was deathly silent in the camp. A large Seawing appeared before her from out of the darkness, sizing her up and determining if she could be useful, most likely.

That, or figuring out the best way to kill her.

Cobra watched, too stricken with fear to do anything, as more and more Seawings appeared. The first one to approach her never letting his piercing stare waver as a younger female approached. "One of the scouts escaped, commander. We shouldn't linger longer than necessary," she suggested, nervously.

The large Seawing turned his glare to her. "I thought I ordered for there to be no survivors," he said dangerously. His voice was rough and deep—full of authority…and potential cruelty.

"We left no survivors, sir," another male approached. "We only count nine corpses, though. It's possible that—"

"Don't tell me what is or isn't possible!" the commander roared. "Your ineptitude has just cost us the element of surprise!" His subordinate successfully cowed, he released a long sigh as his gaze returned to her. "Though perhaps your bungle isn't entirely without recompense."

"Sir?" the male asked.

"See the unique snake-like markings on her scales?" A malicious smile appeared on his muzzle. "This is Queen Anaconda's daughter." He chuckled. "Tie her up and bring her. Make sure she's unconscious," he said, dismissively as he turned away.

She felt pain in the back of her head…

Then darkness.

She awoke after an indeterminate amount of time in what was clearly a cell. The commander from last night—was it last night?—was once again the first thing she saw. She was chained to the far wall away from the door, and he was uncomfortably close. "Where am I? What do you want with me?"

He back away with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Of course…where are my manners? I am Commander Trench, military advisor to Queen Pearl, and _you_ are in _my_ domain now. I have some _very_ special plans for you," he purred into her ear.

"What do you want from me!?" she whimpered in fear. She had never imagined this happening to her when she had left the Rainforest. A thousand curses on her mother for doing this to her! Wait… With a newfound sense of courage and determination, she looked him straight in the eye. "I'll give you whatever information you want if you grant me asylum."

He back away and looked at her with genuine surprise before he chuckled. "And why would you do that?" he questioned, mirth in his eyes and an amused smile on his muzzle.

"My mother tried to have me killed. _She's _the reason I had to leave the rainforest…the reason I'm in this mess. So why not rat her out?" Her glare never left his eyes, and he turned his head away in thought.

"You would be willing to divulge all of Anaconda's secrets if I guarantee your safety?" he asked as he glanced at her in thought. "What if I merely tortured the information out of you?"

"You wouldn't get anything out of me," she growled.

He scoffed. "You underestimate what I'm willing to do, but…I will confer with the Queen." He turned away and called over his shoulder, "Do stay put, I'll be back soon."

She waited for hours at least in that dark, dank cell. The only light she had to view her surroundings by came from small holes in the ceiling of this stone prison. Her stomach eventually started voicing its displeasure at it emptiness. _What I wouldn't do for some food right about now._ All of a sudden talon-steps sounded upon the rock. Commander Trench came into view not long after holding an iron key in his talons.

He was quite literally dangling her freedom in his claws. "If you want asylum, I need to know that you will cooperate with us—specifically, me—and that you _won't_ try to escape. Give me a reason that I should actually believe you. What could you offer us?"

She thought for a minute until the Skywing Captain's words returned to her. She smirked at him, and his smug smile disappeared. He thought he had her.

Was he ever wrong…

"I know where Prince Fathom and Indigo are," she said smugly.

"Is that so?" a young-sounding female voice asked. A Seawing dragonet came into view and sat beside Trench—the commander dwarfing the smaller dragon with his size. She was wearing a necklace of pearls and a few other articles of jewelry, and, with a start, Cobra realized that this was the Seawing Queen, Queen Pearl. "Do tell, where has my wayfaring brother and his bodyguard gone? And _why _haven't they returned yet?"

Cobra smiled a dark, twisted smile. This was the opportunity she needed to get her revenge on her mother. "They are in the Rainforest under my mother's protection. They seemed quite close." She noticed Pearl narrow her eyes, but she continued. "And they're in the company of a Nightwing I'm sure you've heard about…"

Trench growled and clarified for his Queen when she looked at him confused. "Darkstalker, my Queen. He's in the company of the most dangerous dragon on Pyrrhia."

**AN: So what did you think? How was the detail in that first little bit? Was it gruesome enough or could I have done more? What did you think about Commander Trench? Is he menacing and intimidating enough? Let me know.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	19. Chapter 19

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I spologize for not posting last weekend, but I was slammed with homework the week before, so I felt like taking a break over the weekend. I'm back now, though, with another new chapter.**

**WARNING: references to adult themes in this chapter but nothing explicit.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Copperhead and Cobra belong to me.**

**Darkstalker:**

It was a good morning for him. Here he was in their new home with his beloved Clearsight after a night of…particularly stimulating acts of passion. They had had no interruptions or responsibilities for the entire week that they had lived there, so the two of them hadn't bothered leaving their home much.

That single week had seen their relationship deepen exponentially. With everything that had been going on before—what happened in the Night Kingdom, tensions between him and the two Seawings while they were all on the island, being brought here and threatened with execution, and yet more tensions resulting from him attacking Indigo—this week had felt like the first time they could both relax with each other.

He had finally mustered up enough courage last night to finally propose to Clearsight and had been beyond ecstatic when she accepted. They had made love for the first time and now here they were, simply lying with each other the following morning.

Yes, indeed it was a good morning.

Clearsight shifted as she awoke until she was laying on her side and staring into his eyes. "How are you this morning, my love?" he rumbled as he nuzzled her.

She purred happily as he kissed her cheek. "A little sore, but I'll manage. Last night was amazing…_You_ were amazing," she nuzzled him back.

"I can't take all the credit," he chuckled. "It was a team effort."

She rolled her eyes in amusement but smiled, nonetheless. "What plans do we have for today? I don't feel like lying around in bed is the best use of our time."

"I can think of something else to do in bed," he replied with a sultry grin.

She smacked his chest playfully. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!" she giggled. "Maybe we should—Hey, quit! QUIT! THAT TICKLES!" He had found her secret tickle spot below her wing joints last night, and he planned on taking advantage of that right now. She was laughing so hard that he started laughing with her. Eventually, he stopped, and they were right back to laying next to each other and staring into the other's eyes.

They were both just smiling affectionately at the other. It was only when Darkstalker began thinking about last night and what that meant for both of them in the future that he saw Clearsight's worry. "What's wrong?" she asked gently as she brought a talon up to rub his cheek.

At first, he was confused, but then he realized what she meant. He was so focused on the amazing dragoness before him that he didn't realize that he had started to cry softly in pure relief and joy. He wiped his eyes and smiled. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just happy." He leaned forward until his head was against her chest, "I love you, Clearsight."

She began rubbing the top of his head and his neck with a claw. "I love you, too, Darkstalker…with all my heart."

"Excuse me, Lord Darkstalker?" an unfamiliar voice sounded from the common room. Darkstalker's head shot up as he looked to where it had come from.

"What!?" he responded none-too-kindly.

"Queen Anaconda requests your presence, immediately, Lord. She said it was quite urgent," the Rainwing replied immediately. He kept his voice professional, and without seeing him, Darkstalker couldn't really tell if he was intimidated or not.

With a grumble, Darkstalker pushed himself up to his feet and stepped off the bed. They had been there a week without any responsibilities. He should have known that it couldn't last forever. _Better to not re-incite her wrath…especially now._ "I'll be there shortly," he responded.

He looked over to bid farewell to Clearsight and saw her face contorted in pain. He knew what that meant and rushed over to her just as she opened her eyes and met his. "What did you see?" he asked in a whisper, sensing that the Rainwing hadn't left yet.

She looked so utterly devastated when she answered. "Something terrible is about to happen, and…I don't think we can stop it." He was about to ask what it was when he was interrupted once again by the Rainwing.

"Lord Darkstalker, I apologize, but I insist that we must leave now."

Darkstalker snarled at that but calmed immediately when Clearsight placed a kiss on his cheek. "Go. I'll tell you when you get back."

He nodded as he released a deep breath. "Let's go," he replied to the Rainwing when he finally stepped out of his room. The Rainwing nodded and they left to the Queen's Pavilion with all haste.

When they arrived, Darkstalker entered the Pavilion to a sight he never thought he would see. Fathom and a younger Skywing were sitting off to the side as Anaconda was screaming furiously at Copperhead. "DO YOU HAVE ANY_ NOTION_ OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR _BLUNDER_!?"

"B-But mother, I—"

"_SILENCE!_ I DON'T WANT EXCUSES! My daughter has been captured by the enemy! Which means that my _entire kingdom _is at risk!" She stopped yelling only to pin her son with a glare full of cold fury.

An audible smack echoed across the room and all present, including the Queen—who had just slapped her son—had stunned faces. Anaconda was staring at her raised claws and the clawmarks on her son's face with an expression close to horror. Darkstalker could see the utter surprise and betrayal on the young Rainwing's face and the tears that accompanied them. "M-may I be e-excused, m-mother?" he asked with a trembling voice.

Anaconda blinked and tried to hide her shame behind a mask of Queenly grace. "Yes, you are dismissed, Copperhead." When the young Rainwing had left, the Queen sat down heavily and let her shoulder's slump.

"Are you okay, mother?" the little Skywing asked as she stepped towards the Queen. Darkstalker, not that surprised because of what he had heard in her thoughts so far, observed her. _She must be the other animus that Anaconda has. _

"No, Zephyr, I am not, but thanks for asking," she said to the Skywing with a sad smile. She took a deep breath and then regarded the other two dragons in the room: Fathom and himself. She picked up a scroll from the table and held it aloft. "I have some troubling news from the Sky Kingdom. It seems Queen Carmine has asked for my aid."

She paused, and Fathom was the one who asked what was also on his mind. "Why?"

"It seems that the Queen Pearl, and therefore Queen Crane, has declared war against the Skywings," she said grimly. "I intend on answering her call, so as of now, we…are at war."

Darkstalker looked over at Fathom and saw the former Prince looking like his world had just ended. _This must be what Clearsight saw. I won't let anyone take away my happiness. _This morning had been so perfect, but now…Now the lesser dragons were waging war and dragging him into it—dragging him away from Clearsight. How did it come to this? He came here in order to get away from such horrors, but it seems it was all for naught.

He looked down at his talons as they clenched and bit into the wood beneath them. His anger was starting to flare and the voices were beginning to overwhelm him making what the others were saying indiscernible. He couldn't block them out and it was making him even angrier. He tried shaking his head to clear his thoughts, but nothing was working. It was becoming hard to think clearly because of how deafening they all were. They were shouting so loud over each other—hundreds of them—and it was testing him to his limits. He felt like he was falling under the torrent and tried to resist, but his will was beginning to fade. Then, his resistance broke, and everything was clear once more.

He growled menacingly, and everyone turned to him. He looked up with fire in his eyes and felt an odd sensation crawling over his scales. "Darkstalker, are you—" Fathom tried to ask.

When Darkstalker answered, his voice held nothing but malice. "The weak shall perish under the power of the rising Darkness!"

**AN: I know you probably have a bunch of questions concerning the end of this chapter (of which I hope I wrote well enough). What happens to him is that the corruption from previous uses of his power has once again taken him over. Kind of like the corruption I talk about in Dragon's Change-you know the reason he surrendered his powers in the first place. Anyways, his reaction had a sort of Dark Spyro/Malefor inspiration.**

**Please, this time I am asking if it was good or bad or just whatever. I seriously need to know if I am going too far out there and if I need to make a few changes to tone it down a bit.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	20. Chapter 20

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: So you know how I said I would alternate between Darkstalker's group and Cobra? Well, funny story...**

**So, I had taken a break from this story for a while because the more I wrote, the more I realized that I didn't really like the planned ending for it. At least until I came up with a new ending yesterday that was much better, made more sense, and was totally believable-at least to me. So, I decided that I was going to write a new chapter tonight in Cobra's point of view. About thirty minutes later, I was halfway through this chapter and realized that I was writing chapter 20 instead of chapter 19.**

**Instead of writing a completely new chapter tonight or tomorrow, I decided that this one time wouldn't hurt since the two chapters take place at the same time. That, and I've left you guys with a cliffhanger long enough, right?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

**Fathom:**

There was only silence as everyone else in the room were too shocked—and a little terrified in Fathom's case—at Darkstalker's sudden change. Living shadows were writhing across the Nightwing's scales and his irises had turned from their usual silver color into a crimson red. For the first time in a long while, Fathom was actually afraid of his friend.

"You shouldn't be," the Nightwing declared as he stared straight at him. "I have no reason to harm you, Fathom." Fathom internally shivered at the deep, menacing voice that barely sounded like his friend.

Only mildly reassured by Darkstalker's previous statement, Fathom voiced his concern. "Are you…okay?"

Darkstalker raised his talons to study them. "I am well…physically," he answered after a moment, then clenched his talons. "I feel…strange," he spoke not with concern or unease, but rather in deep pondering. "This sensation seems familiar to me…yet also unknown." He looked at the Seawing in confusion. "How can that be?"

Darkstalker was quiet for a moment before shaking his head erratically. The strange shadows began dissipating off of his scales, and when he opened his eyes, they were also back to normal. He scrunched his eyes shut immediately afterward in pain and placed a talon over his eyes. "Are you well?" asked the Queen.

The Nightwing shook his head, and Fathom was taken aback by that simple action. "No, I don't…feel so good. I th—I think I need to lie down." If Fathom was concerned before, now he was downright unsettled. Darkstalker wasn't the kind of dragon to admit weakness to _anyone_—least of all a Queen. For him to do so was…

Something was very wrong here.

He could figure that out later, though. Right now, he should probably offer his help, at least. Fathom approached the suffering Nightwing and placed a talon on his shoulder. "I'll help you get back home…that is, if it's okay?" he addressed the Queen on the second part, to which she nodded.

"You both are dismissed. If he is still unwell tomorrow morning, let me know immediately," she ordered as she escorted the two of them out of her pavilion.

The trip back to Darkstalker and Clearsight's cave took much longer than it should have, for the Nightwing kept having dizzy spells and got sick twice before they arrived at their destination.

Clearsight, of course, was quite worried about her soulmate when she saw the condition he was in. She helped him into bed while Fathom waited by the entryway. He didn't really want to leave until he knew he would be alright, so he waited until Clearsight finally returned to the common room.

Instead of heading over to talk with him, she sat down in front of the fireplace with a sigh. Fathom decided to join her. "I can stay if you want help. Indigo will be fine, I'm sure," he offered.

She nodded, "I would appreciate that." She sighed again. "I didn't think it would be this bad," she said.

Fathom looked at her curiously. "You knew this was going to happen?" he asked.

She nodded. "I know he doesn't want me to, but I keep looking into the futures just in case," she said so quietly that Fathom had to strain to hear her.

"What else have you seen," the Seawing asked, gently.

She was quiet for several moments before he noticed that her breathing was becoming increasingly trembly. Suddenly, she began sobbing heavily, so Fathom pulled her into a hug. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, "W-we should h-have trapped him under that m-mountain."

Fathom looked at her in absolute bewilderment and pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. "Why would you say that? I know he isn't perfect, but do you think he deserves that still?"

She shook her head as she finally calmed down enough to engage in conversation. "You don't understand. I love him, Fathom. I do. But you haven't seen what I have."

"Then tell me, so I _can _understand," he pressed. "What did you see that would make you say that?"

She looked at him with such despair that his breath caught. "I saw death…so much death. What happened today is the beginning of the end, Fathom," she trembled at her own words. "There was a small chance that he resisted, and I hoped he was strong enough, but…" she trailed off.

Fathom was also quiet at that until he finally asked. "So what should we do?"

She sighed. "If only we knew why this happened, maybe we could stop it, but…no matter how hard I try, I can't see anything that could help us."

Fathom looked down in though for a moment before a thought struck him. "Remember that…incident…with Indigo? Darkstalker didn't say his spells, and you said he might be stronger than we thought."

She nodded, "What are you getting at?"

"Maybe he actually_ wasn't _this strong before. What if his powers are…evolving somehow?" he speculated.

"Is that even possible?" she asked, dubious. "And besides, even if it was, why would it take this long for his powers to evolve like you're suggesting?"

He shrugged. "Animus magic isn't an exact science. There's a lot we don't know about it, and most of the stuff we _do_ is mere speculation." She acquiesced to his point. "And maybe because he kept his powers in his scroll for so long, they didn't evolve until now. Or maybe he just needed to be a certain age."

She huffed in frustration. "This kind of speculation is as useless as it is dangerous. We can't make blind assumptions, Fathom."

"I understand that," he argued back. "But we can't just do nothing! We _need_ to figure this out—for his sake as much as ours." Fathom sighed and rubbed his eyes with a talon. "Just when I thought my life couldn't be any more complicated," he mumbled.

**AN: So what did you think? Poor Darkstalker, huh? It seems fate isn't through knocking him around yet. Tell me what you though in a review, if you're so inclined.**

**Before I leave, I just wanted to reply to one of the guest reviews about using real life curses. Understand that this book series was written for younger readers, so of course the author wouldn't use actual cuss words. I also don't feel like making up potential curses that have no weight in real life. Therefore, if it makes you feel better, when you see a real life curse word, think of it as using a real life equivalent of a Pyrrhian curse (ie: the F-word is the equivalent of the most vulgar Pyrrhian curse out there).**

**Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head, but I don't know if it makes sense when I put it in words. If it doesn't, I'm sorry, but I'm not very good at explaining things. Anyways...**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	21. Chapter 21

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: I don't feel like writing a long author's note, so let's just get into things.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Cobra and Trench belong to me.**

**Cobra:**

Cobra was annoyed. The reason for her annoyance: the basket sitting in front of her. More importantly, she was annoyed at its contents—or lack thereof. It was full, sure, but it was full of papayas. And therein lay the source of her annoyance.

She had asked for mangoes.

Instead of saying anything, though, she merely glared at the Seawing who had delivered it. Commander Trench just looked at her with an unimpressed expression. "I asked for mangoes," she finally stated.

Trench just rolled his eyes. "Well, this is what we got, so you're just going to have to deal with it," he said dismissively.

She scoffed. "Queen Pearl specifically told you to keep me happy so as to guarantee my continued cooperation, and I asked for mangoes. These," she gestured to the basket of papayas, "Are not mangoes."

Trench narrowed his eyes dangerously, and, for a moment, Cobra wondered if she had finally pushed him too far. She had been testing him ever since they granted her asylum a week ago. So far, the commander hadn't done anything to her yet…

Instead of attacking her, though, he merely grabbed the basket, secured the lid, and hoisted it onto his back. Before leaving, he left her with a few words to think on. "I can order your execution at any time, _princess,_" he spat. "Push me all you want, but don't be surprised when I push back." With that, he stormed out of her room.

Cobra watched him leave with her own dangerous glare. He didn't intimidate her. There's no way he would go against his Queen's wishes…right? He didn't seem like that kind of dragon to her, at least.

She waited for a short span before he returned with another basket that he dropped before her. She watched him for a moment before opening it.

Dragonfruit.

This was a basket of dragonfruit.

"Are you doing this on purpose, or are you actually this daft?" Trench growled at her but still didn't make a move against her. Unfortunately, she didn't stop there. "It's remarkable that the Queen trusts you with anything," she taunted. "She must be desperate to allow—OOF!"

She grunted at the impact of hitting the back wall of her room. Then, powerful talons hoisted her into the air. Trench was well and truly furious for the first time since the two had been forced to 'work together'.

"I don't know why I put up with you," he growled. "You haven't given us anything that we didn't already know. As far as I'm concerned, you've reached the limit of your use. I—"

"Stand down, Commander!" a young, female voice commanded from behind him. Trench turned his head enough to see the Queen standing there with an unamused expression.

He dropped Cobra unceremoniously to the ground where she coughed at the sudden rush of air into her lungs. The large Seawing towered over the young Queen, but she showed no fear. "My strongest recommendation is to simply kill her," he stated as casually as if he were discussing the weather. "Or at the very least, have someone else deal with her." He glanced at her briefly. "I have reached my limit of tolerance with this one."

"Your opinions are noted, but you have your orders," she said with finality. Trench just grunted as the Seawing Queen made her way over to the slowly recovering Rainwing. "I would appreciate if you start cooperating. Trench is not a patient dragon. In fact, I'm surprised he's lasted this long before lashing out."

"Is that what you call it?" Cobra replied bitterly.

Pearl, however, wasn't as amused. "Your stay here can be as pleasant or miserable as you want it to be. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life in the dungeons, I would recommend that you stop being so rebellious." Pearl made her way back into the halls before turning to Trench. "If she continues being uncooperative, do what you will, just don't kill her…" She turned and looked directly at Cobra when she finished. "…Yet."

When Pearl was out of earshot, the commander turned to her. "If you don't want to spend the next week locked in the dungeons without food, I would suggest you start talking. You said to draw Anaconda out, we had to openly declare war on the Skywings. Well, we just did, so what would you recommend next?"

Cobra stood up with slight effort before sighing. "The Skywings and Rainwings are the two strongest militaries on Pyrrhia, as you probably know, but even they can't stand up to the rest of the tribes at once. The Mudwings are already your allies so call for their aid. Make a deal with the Sandwings to secure their help. I'm sure the Icewings would be willing to help if you told them about Darkstalker's survival. The only unknown variable would be the Nightwings, but they would probably help for the same reason if we could find them."

"I doubt the Nightwings and Icewings would put aside their animosity towards each other even to kill Darkstalker," he said.

"Who said they had to know about the other's involvement? Have the Icewings attack the Skywings and the Nightwings attack the Rainwings. Nobody would ever know," she smirked at his thoughtful expression.

He nodded to himself a few times before looking to her. "Alright, you won't be spending the week in the dungeons, but that doesn't mean I won't change my mind if you decide to test me," he warned her, to which she nodded in understanding. "Good. Now, be on your best behavior and maybe I'll get you your mangoes."

"Until then…could I have those papayas back?" she grinned.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	22. Chapter 22

A Brighter Future Ahead

**AN: Before I get into the chapter, I just wanted to apologize for how long it's been taking me to post new chapters of anything recently. I said before that I would have more free time to write during the summer, and I _do_, but none of that matters if I don't actually _write anything._ I've been getting distracted lately, either reading other fanfictions or playing Skyrim again, but from here on out, I promise to do better. I will make myself write at least 1000 words a day.**

**Which is why I wrote this whole thing while I had a headache. I am going to do better at posting things. Anyways, let's just get into the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Copperhead and Cobra belong to me.**

**Clearsight:**

Fathom had left shortly after their conversation last night, so when she awoke and left a still-sleeping Darkstalker in bed to restoke the fire in the common-room, she was left alone with her thoughts. _What am I going to do?_ She thought to herself in an almost desperate voice. _I can't just let him go off and wait for it to happen again. I _need_ to make him understand—_

"Understand what?" a sleepy sounding voice sounded behind her. She jumped in surprise at the sudden interruption of her thoughts.

She smacked him on the shoulder for that. "Don't do that! You scared me!" He sat down next to her with a soft 'sorry', and her expression softened. "How are you feeling?"

"I've got a dull headache and my ears keep ringing, but I think I'm okay," he replied honestly. "Fathom left?" he asked, to which she nodded. Darkstalker looked a bit down at that. "I didn't get a chance to tell him 'thank you'," he said softly.

"You can tell him next time you see him, but I already gave him thanks enough, I think," she said with a small smile. He smiled back at her—at least until her smile fell and she looked down sadly.

He gently cupped her chin and began stroking her cheek with a thumb. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. However, his voice held his love for her in it, as well.

She relished in the contact for a short moment of blissful serenity before she spoke, gravely. "We need to talk. It's important," she stated.

He blinked at her in slight surprise but nodded regardless as he dropped his talon back to the ground. "Um…yeah…okay. I'm all ears," he said.

However, before she could say anything, an unfamiliar voice interrupted her. "Lord Darkstalker? Are you feeling well this morning?"

Darkstalker sighed and looked at her apologetically before answering. "Yes, I'm fine," he called back, hoping that was the end of it.

Alas, it was not to be. "That's wonderful news," he said, though he didn't sound very relieved. "Queen Anaconda has requested your presence. Both Fathom and Copperhead are already there and are waiting on you."

Darkstalker scowled at that, and Clearsight thought that her soulmate would tell the guard to go away for now, but her hopes were quickly dashed when Darkstalker spoke. "Alright, fine! I'll be right there!" he replied before turning an apologetic gaze to Clearsight. "Sorry. I guess we'll talk later?"

Though he phrased it like a question, he didn't wait for her reply. Clearsight watched him leave with dread building in her chest. "N-no, Darkstalker, _wait!_" she called.

"It's okay," he reassured her as he kept walking. "We'll talk later, I promise, and I'll be back before you know it."

_How can he not hear my desperation? Are you even listening to me!?_ She mentally shouted to no effect. Darkstalker just kept walking. Desperate to make him stay and listen to her, she said the one thing she knew would get his attention. "Darkstalker I love you, but if you leave this cave right now, I won't be here when you get back!"

He froze mid-step near the exit, just like she knew he would. Since he hadn't said or done anything yet, she continued to try and make him understand the gravity of this situation. "I saved you from yourself once and gave you a second chance! If you leave right now, I won't be able to protect you, and chances are you won't get a third!"

He finally turned to her—his expression conveying both shock and confusion. "What do you—"

"Lord Darkstalker, I must insist we leave, _now,_" the Rainwing pressed. "The Queen is a very busy dragon, especially with recent events, so it's best not to—"

Darkstalker growled at the interruption and blatant disrespect from the guard. "SHUT UP!" he roared. "Tell the Queen that my time is my own. I'll be there when it suits me," he replied, dangerously close to losing his temper.

There was a long moment of silence before there was a reply. "Very well," the Rainwing said, though both of them could hear the outrage in his voice.

Once she heard wing beats, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, you certainly have my attention," Darkstalker spoke. He walked back and sat before her and grasped her talons in his. "What's going on, Clearsight?"

"I know you said you didn't want me to," she began, "But I've been looking through the threads just in case." Darkstalker didn't look too pleased by that, but he let her continue. "I saw what happened to you yesterday in a vision. That's what I wanted to tell you about before you left."

Darkstalker looked away, his expression full of both shame and regret for not listening to her yesterday. "Do you know why it happened?" he asked after a moment.

She shook her head, "No. And that scares me. Usually I would see at least something, but…I haven't. It doesn't matter how far I look or how many threads I look through." She could almost see his brain at work as he tried to think of possible answers. "That's not the worst part, either. I've seen it happen to you again and again, and every time it does, a lot of dragons end up dead."

"What should I do, then?" he asked softly. He looked at her, and her breath hitched when she saw something in his eyes she never thought she would see…

_Fear._

Whatever this was—whatever had happened to him and would _keep_ happening to him—had him truly scared for the first time since they had known each other.

"I don't know yet, but you can't let yourself be dragged into this conflict. It isn't yours! It doesn't matter if Anaconda throws us out or tries to imprison us, okay? We'll go somewhere else. We'll find somewhere to live where no one will ever find us," she promised him. "We'll have our three dragonets one day, and you'll be a great father," she said softly as she nuzzled under his jaw.

Darkstalker held her all the more tightly after hearing that, and that's where they spent the majority of the morning.

**AN: So, things are starting to get a bit more serious, huh? Just what is happening to Darkstalker? Will they ever find out? Will they ever find peace?**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


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